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Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Falls Short of Triple Crown

Bidding to become the National League's first Triple Crown winner since 1937, Shohei Ohtani finished his super season a bit shy of the batting title.

Published

2 days ago

September 30, 2024

Ed Odeven

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit .310 with 54 home runs and 130 RBIs during the 2024 MLB season. (©Ron Chenoy/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)

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Shohei Ohtani came into the Los Angeles Dodgers' final game of the 2024 MLB season with the mathematical possibility of winning the National League Triple Crown.

But with a 1-for-4 outing at the plate on Sunday, September 29, Ohtani finished the regular season with a .310 batting average. San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez still leads the NL in batting (.314) heading into the final day of the season.

On Monday, Dominican designated hitter Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves, who's batting .304 and is currently trailing Ohtani and the league leader, will have an outside shot at moving ahead of Arraez. The Braves play a doubleheader against the New York Mets to wrap up the regular season.

Playoff games begin on Tuesday. But the Dodgers (98-64), winners of three straight NL West titles, will be off until Saturday, October 5, when they will play host to a yet-to-be-determined team in the NL Division Series.

Ohtani won the NL home-run crown with a career-high 54 clouts and also finished No 1 in RBIs (130) on a day when the visiting Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 at Coors Field.

St Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Joe Medwick was the last NL player to win the Triple Crown, doing so in 1937.

'Focused on Having Quality At-Bats'

Ohtani insisted his focus wasn't on bidding to win the Triple Crown on Sunday.

"I didn't think about the Triple Crown or how close I was to it today," Ohtani was quoted as saying through an interpreter by The Associated Press. "Today, I was focused on having quality at-bats."

In the American League, the most recent winner of the Triple Crown was Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Before Cabrera, the impressive feat hadn't been achieved in the AL since Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox in 1967.

Shohei Ohtani Stays Healthy for the Entire Season

Looking back on his spectacular season as the Dodgers designated hitter, which also included seven triples, 197 hits, 411 total bases (only the 19th player in MLB history to do so), a .646 slugging percentage and a 1.036 OPS, Ohtani pointed out that he was an active presence in the lineup since Opening Day. (He appeared in 159 of 162 Dodgers games.)

"First and foremost, I think the most important part of all this is that I was able to play consistently throughout the whole year," Ohtani told reporters through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. "I'm very thankful and grateful for all the staff who supported me throughout this year."

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.