Shohei Ohtani slugged a game-tying home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday night, September 22.
Teammate Mookie Betts followed with a walk-off blast as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies 6-5.
Ohtani went 4-for-5 with two runs and a pair of stolen bases. He's batting .301 with 53 homers, 55 steals, 123 RBIs and 128 runs.
Ohtani is now one stolen base shy of Ichiro Suzuki's record for Japanese MLB players (56), which he recorded in 2001.
With his clutch homer on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani surpassed Ichiro's runs scored record for Japanese players in the majors (127), another impressive figure from his debut season with the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro batted .350 that year.
On September 19, Ohtani broke Hideki Matsui's record for most RBIs (116) by a Japanese player in MLB, a feat generating headlines and infographics in Japan. It was, however, overshadowed by an exceptional 6-for-6 performance at the plate against the Miami Marlins. His 10-RBI, three-homer, two-steal effort ― while becoming MLB's first 50-50 player in the same season ― is considered one of the greatest single-game offensive performances in history.
In the series finale against the Rockies, the Dodgers trailed 5-1 entering the seventh inning. They tacked on three in the home half of the seventh. Ohtani singled, stole second and scored on a Freddie Freeman single to pull the Dodgers within 5-4.
Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen (2-1) gave up homers to Ohtani (a line drive to center on a 2-1 splitter) and Betts (a blast to left on an 0-2 sinker) as the Dodgers triumphed in dramatic fashion.
Shohei Ohtani: The Dodgers' Superman
After another noteworthy game by Ohtani in a season of great performances by the superstar, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reacted with a sense of awe.
"To start that ninth inning with Shohei continuing to do what he does, he just doesn't seem human right now," Roberts said, according to The Associated Press. "I really haven't seen a player as locked [in] like Shohei is for as long as he's been in quite some time."
Exhibit A: In his last seven games, Ohtani hit .500 (16-for-32) with six homers, 17 RBIs, 11 runs and seven stolen bases.
Yamamoto Struggles Against the Rockies
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed four runs and five hits in three innings. He walked three and struck out four in his third start since coming off the injured list.
Los Angeles (93-63) holds a three-game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres (90-66) in the National League West with six games remaining. Up next: a three-game series against the Padres starting on Tuesday, September 24.
Did You Know?
Frank Robinson is the only player in MLB history to win MVP awards in both leagues.
In 1961, Robinson, a Cincinnati Reds star, was named the NL MVP. The future Baseball Hall of Famer was the American League MVP in 1966 while playing for the Baltimore Orioles.
Ohtani, a two-time AL MVP, is a strong candidate to become the second player with MVP awards in both leagues.
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- Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Joins Exclusive 40-40 Club
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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.
