Top line
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani scored his latest record-breaking feat on Friday night with a walk-off grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays that secured him a spot among MLB’s all-time greatest players in the league’s ultra-exclusive 40-40 club.
Ohtani reached 40 stolen bases and 40 home runs for the season in the same game on Friday night. (Photo … (+)
Key data
Ohtani’s 389-foot grand slam and stolen base in the fourth inning marked his entry into the club that consists of players who have hit 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season.
Ohtani managed to join the club in just 126 games, surpassing the group’s previous leader, Alfonso Soriano, who reached the 40-40 mark with 147 games in 2006.
The 40-40 club now consists of Ohtani, Soriano, Jose Canseco (151 games in 1988), Ronald Acuña Jr. (152 games in 2023), Alex Rodriguez (153 games in 1998) and Barry Bonds (158 games in 1996).
Ohtani and Acuña became the first players in league history to join the 40-40 club in two consecutive years, with Acuña completing this feat after a 17-year drought.
Ohtani’s historically quick entry into the club gives him a good chance to become the first player in MLB history to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, as the Dodgers have 33 games remaining in the regular season.
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What you should pay attention to
If Ohtani wins the National League MVP award this year, it would be the first time a 40-40 club member has accomplished this feat in two consecutive seasons. The last two players to do so were Acuña (2023) and Canseco (1988).
tangent
Acuña has the most stolen bases of any member of the 40-40 club, collecting a whopping 73 steals last season.
Forbes Rating
We estimate Ohtani’s total earnings for the year ending May 2024 to be $85.3 million, making him the 13th highest-paid athlete in the world and the highest-paid baseball player.
Important background
Ohtani has been hailed as the best player in MLB right now and has firmly cemented his place among the league’s all-time greats. The 30-year-old is known for his talent as a hitter and pitcher, which is extremely rare in modern baseball. He was the first player in MLB history to hit at least 40 home runs and record 10 wins as a pitcher last season. He made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels, where he eventually became the league’s first player to be voted an All-Star as both a hitter and a pitcher. The star player signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December. Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers surpasses the contracts of star athletes in other sports, such as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ($450 million) and Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout ($426 million).
More information
How Ohtani’s $700 million deal with the Dodgers breaks all records (Forbes)
Ohtani, Ozuna, Oh My: Hitters aim for first NL Triple Crown since 1937 (Forbes)
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