If one player is making the most waves both on and off the diamond, it’s most definitely Shohei Ohtani. Recently, a video of him doing the 550+ pound deadlifts effortlessly went viral, and it has now garnered more than 4.5+ million views! And on the field? He’s still crushing it. In a recent game with the Pittsburgh Pirates; Ohtani smashed a 113.9-mph missile. And all this while is he recovering from an elbow injury. Dave Roberts compared him to the legend Barry Bonds and what do you know, now, Ohtani has officially joined Bonds in an exclusive club. He just created history!

The Japanese baseball icon became the sixth player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases! He didn’t just join the exclusive iconic club–he did it with some serious flair. On Friday night, Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 7-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. Then, in a powerful moment, he smashed the first pitch from reliever Colin Poche 414 feet to center field – talk about a dramatic entrance into the 40-40 club.

Shohei Ohtani shatters 40-40 record in record time

Ohtani not only made his way to the exclusive 40-40 club, but he also was the quickest of all those already in the club. Ohtani reached this milestone in just 126 games, blowing past the others. For some perspective, Jose Canseco did it in 1988 in 151 games, Ronald Acuna Jr did it in 2023 in 152 games, Alex Rodriguez did it in 1998 in 153 games and Barry Bonds did it in 158 games in 1996. Ohtani broke the record that Alfonso Soriano held with 40-40 in 147 games. But there is another factor that makes his record even more astonishing.

The Japanese icon is also the fastest when it comes to the calendar date. The other five members of the exclusive club needed most of September to reach their goal. Alfonso Soriano was the fastest among them and reached there by Sept 16, 2006—Ohtani did it on Aug 23! To say the team was overjoyed would be an understatement. After the stellar game, as Ohtani was talking to reporter Kristen Watson, his teammates showered Gatorade all over him.

Shohei Ohtani, through his interpreter, shared, “Obviously really happy, but most importantly really happy that we were able to win today. So I’m just extremely honored that I’ve been part of this history. Obviously the record is part of the process, but I think the most important thing is about winning the game.” Now, over a month is left in the regular season, Ohtani has his eyes set on breaking another record!

Ohtani eyes the 50-50 milestone!

Shohei Ohtani after Friday’s game is definitely on the pace to make another history with a potential 50-50 this season. It’s a feat no one before him has achieved, but he might just be able to pull it off. At least, that’s what the numbers suggest! Ohtani managed to reach 40 home runs and 40 steals in just 126 games. If he can keep up with this current pace and production through the rest of the year, he will hit or dare we say even surpass the 50-50 mark this season. His recent 10–game bursts are a testament to his capability! From Aug 9-18, he hit five homers and stole five bases, mirroring a similar 10-game stretch earlier in May. Now, just 33 games remain so he just needs 10 more homers and 10 more steals. In fact, he even did 14 homers and 10 steals from mid-June to late July, so momentum is clearly no issue.

However, not everything is rosy and several factors can come in his pursuit of chasing that 50-50. Teams like the Colorado Rockies whom the Dodgers will face are easier to hit homers against. But steals–that’s tough! On the flip side, facing teams like the Braves, who are stingy with homers, could be a challenge for Dodgers. Another challenge could be injuries and although Shohei Ohtani has suffered no such major injuries that affected his performance, in a sport like baseball, nothing is guaranteed. Moreover, he is already in recovery from his UCL injury. 

While 50-50 is no simple task, Shohei Ohtani can make it happen as per statistics and even if he doesn’t, his performance this year will surely go down in history. Do you think he can reach the 50-50 mark? Let us know in the comments.