Shohei Ohtani unlocks a new achievement — 50 stolen bases

09/19/2024 04:59 PM

Shohei Ohtani unlocks a new achievement — 50 stolen bases

by Cary Osborne

Shohei Ohtani has become the third Dodger this century to reach the 50-stolen base mark.

Ohtani joins Dee Gordon (64 in 2014) and Juan Pierre (64 in 2007).

Ohtani slid in feet first to third base under a tag in the first inning on Wednesday to reach the milestone in Miami. He then scored the Dodgers' first run of the game on a Will Smith sacrifice fly.

Ohtani is the first player in Major League history with at least 50 stolen bases and 85 extra-base hits in the same season. He has 88 extra-base hits.

Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy is the only other player in MLB history with at least 45 stolen bases and 85 extra-base hits. He did it in 1894.

This is also the 26th time in the history of the franchise that a player has reached the №50 and the 12th time since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

No Dodger has come close to achieving the stolen-base and power-hitting numbers that Ohtani has achieved. Yes, Ohtani is the first Dodger to go 40/40 in a season and sixth in Major League history, and he is the only player to reach at least 48 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. But Davey Lopes is the only other Dodger to reach double digits in home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

Lopes stole 59 bases in 1974. He hit 10 home runs.

Also extraordinary is that Ohtani has 50 steals in 54 attempts. His 92.6% stolen-base percentage ranks third all time for a player with at least 50 stolen bases in a season behind:

1. Max Carey — 96.2% in 1922 (51-for-53)

2. Jacoby Ellsbury — 92.9% in 2013 (52-for-56)

Ohtani has been successful on his last 27 stolen-base attempts. He was last caught on July 22.

Ohtani is 27-for-28 in stolen base attempts in the second half. The 96.4% success rate is the highest second-half stolen-base percentage by a Dodger with at least 25 stolen bases.

Shohei Ohtani unlocks a new achievement — 50 stolen bases was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.