Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Joins 40-40 Club in Dramatic Fashion

In his first season as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, superstar Shohei Ohtani has done something that no other player for Los Angeles ever has. He officially joined the 40/40 club on Friday night in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays and did so in dramatic fashion.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Ohtani came up to bat. In classic Ohtani form, he hit a walk-off grand slam to not only give the Dodgers the win but to join the 40-40 club.

Entering Friday’s game, Ohtani was one stolen base and one home run shy of the feat. But once the game was over, Ohtani became only the sixth player in MLB history to accomplish this.

He joins Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Alfonso Soriano, and Ronald Acuña Jr. on the exclusive list of players to reach this milestone. Ohtani also became the quickest player to get to this point in a season.

Each of the other milestones was reached in mid-to-late September. Rodriguez hit home run No. 40 on Sept. 19, Bonds grabbed base No. 40 on Sept. 27, Canseco stole base No. 40 on Sept. 23, Soriano stole his 40th base on Sept. 16, and Acuña Jr. hit his 40th home run on Sept. 22.

Ohtani reflected on the moment after the game ended, saying that this was one of the top moments of his legendary career.

“One of my top memorable moments,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I hope that I can do more and make more memorable moments.”

What Ohtani has done in his first season with the Dodgers has been nothing short of incredible. He has been everything that Los Angeles had hoped for when they signed him to a record 10-year, $700 million contract in the offseason.

Ohtani was just looking to help the team win but ended up writing a different story. Now, with a little over a month still to go in the baseball season, he can look ahead as he tries to become the first player to ever reach the 50/50 club.

“I think the most important thing is to be able to contribute to winning the game,” Ohtani said. “And obviously, the closer I get to 50-50, the more I’m contributing to the team winning. So if that’s how it is, then I’m happy with that.”

Not only did he reach the milestone but his home run helped L.A. keep their slim lead in the National League West division. Ohtani’s quest to reach more milestones continues as he looks to help the Dodgers go after another World Series trophy.

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