By: Max Brucks
For the Los Angeles Dodger Designated Hitter, Shohei Ohtani, breaking records and creating exclusive clubs is nothing. In a game against the Miami Marlins on September 19, Ohtani went six for six with three home runs, two doubles, and two stolen bases. This performance made him the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
To put this incredible statistic into perspective, the five players that hit the most home runs outside of Ohtani stole 61 stole bases combined. In the last ten seasons, there have only been three times a player has finished in the top five in home runs hit and stole even half of the bases Ohtani did. On the other side of the 50/50 club, there have only been 25 players in the last ten seasons to have at least 25 home runs and finish in the top 10 in stolen bases.
Ohtani, combining power and speed, helped the Dodgers to the second-best record in the National League. Stealing bases gives a team an advantage on the offensive end, as singles can turn to doubles, and doubles can turn to triples. One of the best stats to help evaluate a player in baseball is WAR (or, wins above replacement). This statistic measures how many wins a player adds above an average or replacement-level player. WAR uses every aspect of baseball to calculate the stat, and Ohtani finished third in all of baseball. Ohtani had some of the best production in baseball without ever playing defense or pitching.
A player with Ohtani’s power and ability to steal bases can impact the game in many ways. As the common baseball saying goes, “chicks dig the long ball.” But, stealing bases and getting runners on also impacts the game. This is a known fact at McPherson College as well. Baseball outfielder Colby Stuart believes the effect base stealing has an impact on outcome of a game. Stuart explains, “It has a huge impact I would say. The better a team is at stealing bases the more opportunities they would have to score.”
When asked about players’ abilities to make their own decisions on the basepath, Stuart said, “I do like the idea. It gives the runner control of their game because they know what they can do. Plus, if you’re really smart on the base path it’s even more of an advantage because you’re not being held back and able to play your game.” A guy like Ohtani can also influence how pitchers focus on the game. When McPherson College pitcher Campbell Lyons was asked how pitching with runners in scoring position affects his game, he answered, “It helps me lock in more because I don’t want them to score, so I focus and try to execute at 110%.” Ohtani’s ability to be a threat on the bases and at the plate is something that is becoming revolutionary in the game of baseball.
With players like this and moments like this, the baseballs used in the game are worth almost as much as the actual players. The baseball that Ohtani launched for his 50th home run is currently selling for around 1.2 million dollars on the market. This has prompted at least two people to sue for possession of the ball. According to Dan Hajducky and Xuan Thai of ESPN, this isn’t the first time a lawsuit occurred over an important baseball. Their ESPN article states that for both Barry Bonds’ 73rd homerun and 700th homerun, there were legal disputes over the ball. The article explains that in the first case, the sale of the baseball from the 73rd homerun was split between both parties.
McPherson College catcher and baseball fan Brady Kaplan explained his perspective during an interview. Kaplan stated “Personally, I wouldn’t of sued for possession of the ball… because what he did to be a part of baseball history is amazing…. If I were to have kept the ball, I would probably of kept the ball as first because that would mean that I was part of history because I was the one that would of ended up with the ball at the end of the day. Once I got older, I would of probably sold the ball because then I would of made a lot of money off of that one ball and money is something everyone wants.” Sports memorabilia has a massive market, and this ball hit by Ohtani may be one of the hottest pieces right now.
