Shohei Ohtani made history in spectacular fashion Friday night, joining the elite 40/40 club by hitting a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning, propelling the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ohtani’s dramatic blast not only secured the win but also marked his 40th home run of the season.
Earlier in the game, Ohtani stole his 40th base, reaching the milestone with an infield single in the fourth inning, followed by a successful steal of second base during Freddie Freeman’s at-bat. With this, Ohtani became the fastest player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 40/40 milestone, achieving the feat in just 126 games. The previous record was held by Alfonso Soriano, who reached 40 homers and 40 steals in 147 games for the Washington Nationals in 2006.
Ohtani is the sixth player to join the 40/40 club, and the first in Dodgers history. Reflecting on his achievement, Ohtani emphasized the importance of the team’s success over individual accolades. “It’s really more about the winning,” he said through an interpreter. “The record is part of the process, but the most important thing is winning the game.”
The grand slam, which traveled 389 feet, was Ohtani’s first walk-off home run and third grand slam of his career. Rays center fielder Jose Siri chased the ball but it bounced back onto the field, leading Siri to toss it into the stands, denying Ohtani the keepsake. Ohtani nonetheless received a rousing ovation from the crowd of 45,556, taking a curtain call as his teammates doused him with water in celebration.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled at the historic moment. “It’s just storybook—40/40 on the same night,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if that’s ever been done, and then he wins it with a grand slam. He’s known for the dramatics, and this was something I’ll remember for a long time.”
Ohtani now joins the ranks of Soriano, Ronald Acuña Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Jose Canseco as members of the 40/40 club. With Ohtani on pace to potentially become the first player in MLB history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, speculation is already mounting about what more he could achieve.
After spending six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels without reaching the postseason, Ohtani now finds himself in the heat of a pennant race with the NL West-leading Dodgers. “The No. 1 goal is to get to the postseason and win the World Series,” Ohtani said. “Whatever the outcome is for my record, that’s part of the process.”
Ohtani’s recent base-stealing prowess has also drawn praise, with his 12 stolen bases in August being the most by a Dodgers player in a month since Rafael Furcal’s perfect 12-for-12 performance in September and October 2007. “He’s an elite base stealer with a high success rate,” Roberts noted, commending Ohtani’s improvement in this aspect of his game.
As the season progresses, Ohtani remains a strong contender for the National League MVP, potentially setting up a showdown with New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 49 home runs. Roberts concluded, “I just don’t see anyone any better. Obviously, Judge is in the conversation, but man, I’d take Shohei.”
