LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani broke into the 40-40 club in grand fashion Friday night, hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to reach 40 home runs on the season and lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to 7. 3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ohtani stole his 40th base earlier in the game, leading off the fourth inning with an infield single, then stole second during Freddie Freeman’s at-bat.
Ohtani, the fastest player in major league history to reach 40-40, did so in his 126th game of the season. Alfonso Soriano went 40-40 in 147 games for the Washington Nationals in 2006.
Ohtani is the sixth major leaguer and first Dodger to reach the milestone.
“It’s really about winning,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Obviously the record is part of the process, but I think the most important thing is to win the game.”
Friday’s blast was Ohtani’s first career homer and his third grand slam.
“It’s just storybook — 40-40 on the same night,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know if that’s ever been done, and I don’t know if he’ll ever win it with a Grand Slam. He’s definitely known for plays, which I’ll remember for a long time.”
Ohtani’s 389-foot shot tied the game at 3-3. Rays center fielder Jose Siri gave chase and the ball came back into the field. He then threw it into the stands so Ohtani didn’t end up with the souvenir, says Will Ireton, Ohtani’s interpreter.
Ohtani took a curtain call as the crowd of 45,556 stood and cheered.
“It’s a huge amount to be able to do this in front of the home crowd,” he said.
According to ESPN Stats and Information Research, Ohtani is on pace to become the first player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. No player has ever had 45 homers and 45 steals in a season.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
