The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays were tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, bases loaded, and up to the plate came Shohei Ohtani.
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That is to say, on the first pitch of the at-bat, the Japanese superstar hit a breaking ball 389 feet to deep right center, clearing the wall, as the walk-off grand slam resulted in the Dodgers winning 7-3.
#WALKOFF GRAND SLAM
TO JOIN THE 40-40 CLUB
THERE IS ONLY ONE SHOHEI OHTANI. pic.twitter.com/FksrBJCDSV— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2024
To note, this was Ohtani's 40th home run of the season, and since he also stole his 40th base during the fourth inning, he became just the sixth player in MLB history to join the 40/40 club. Even more, he achieved this milestone in only 126 games, which is the fewest number of games played among those that have also reached this mark.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the 6th player in MLB history to reach the 40/40 club! pic.twitter.com/ygqfZL2F0D
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 24, 2024
In view of the other MLB players to also accomplish hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in one season, here is the list: 2006 Alfonso Soriano (147 games), 1988 Jose Canseco (151 games), 2023 Ronald Acuña Jr. (152 games), 1998 Alex Rodriguez (153 games), and 1996 Barry Bonds (158 games).
As a result of his game-winning performance and career accomplishment, 45,556 fans gave Ohtani a standing ovation, while his teammates celebrated by dumping water on him.
Ohtani splash! pic.twitter.com/oT0yoGIxYj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 24, 2024
Manager Dave Roberts summed it up during the postgame press conference.
"He's just dangerous any time he puts that uniform on," Roberts said.
As for the 40/40 home run ball, it bounced back into the field of play, however, Rays' center fielder Jose Siri threw it back into the crowd, so one lucky fan now has a historic piece of memorabilia.
This view of Shohei making history. 😍 pic.twitter.com/xfnULjNcAy
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 24, 2024
On the season, the 30-year-old is batting .292, with a .992 OPS, and has accumulated 97 RBI's, 92 runs, while also being ranked second in home runs (40) behind New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (49).
Related: Shohei Ohtani Hits Kid In The Face With Home Run Ball
