Shohei Ohtani just reached a milestone achieved by only one baseball legend ever
By Ryan General
Major League Baseball
One of the GOATs: Ohtani joined Hall of Famer Willie Mays in an exclusive club after scoring back-to-back triples on Saturday to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 14-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners, reported NBC Sports.
- By registering his sixth triple of the season, the 27-year-old Japanese player became the second player with at least 45 home runs, 20 steals and six triples in one season.
- According to MLB, a triple is achieved when “a batter hits the ball into play and reaches third base without the help of an intervening error or attempt to put out another baserunner.”
- Mays, regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time, achieved 24 steals, 51 home runs, and 13 triples at age 24 while playing for the New York Giants in 1955.
- Ohtani, who has also been compared to baseball legend Babe Ruth because of his two-way ability allowing him to be skilled in both pitching and hitting, also matched a Major League Baseball record the day before when he drew 11 walks, which is when a batter gets to walk to first base, over a three-game span, reported the Japan Times.
- The Angels named Ohtani as its best pitcher and club MVP for 2021, as voted by players. It marks the first time a single player won both awards.
Ending with a losing season: After the Angels lost their home finale to the Mariners on Sunday, Ohtani’s record improved to 45 home runs, 24 steals and seven triples.
- The Angels, who have not had a winning season since 2015 are now at 75 wins and 82 losses with six games remaining.
- During Sunday’s post-game interview, Ohtani expressed his frustration and disappointment with not being able to reach a winning record this season.
- “I always look forward to being in the playoff race in the end and trying to talk about the playoffs with my teammates,” Ohtani was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “I always think about that, so this year, it’s disappointing.”
- Ohtani, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, shared that he has yet to have extension talks with the Angels, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- “I really like the team. I love the fans. I love the atmosphere of the team,” Ohtani said via an interpreter. “But, more than that, I want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me. I’ll leave it at that.”
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