Shohei Ohtani inches near to achieving a 50-50 season with his 47th successful base steal, happening during the Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-4 defeat against the Chicago Cubs.
After smashing his 46th home run of the season on Sunday, the two-time American League MVP is now just three stolen bases and four homers short of being the first player in MLB history to achieve 50 of each in a single season.
Ohtani has been bringing new feats to the table ever since he was declared unavailable for pitching until 2025. His steal on Monday has brought him within reach of doubling his best stolen base count: the 26 he had in 2021.
The Japanese sensation hasn't shown any signs of slowing down since joining the 40-40 club in August. He shares this achievement with the likes of Alfonso Soriano, Jose Canseco, Ronald Acuna Jr., Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez, who held the previous all-time record of 43-43, which he achieved with the Seattle Mariners in 1998.
However, on Monday night, Ohtani wasn't the only headline. The performances of two former Dodgers, Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch, played a significant role in deciding the game.
The Cubs took an early lead of three runs in the top of the first. Bellinger started it off with a two-run homer off the first pitch he faced, and Busch followed up with an RBI single to right field.
Wary of allowing Ohtani's 47th home run of the season, Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks intentionally walked him in the bottom of the third. But Ohtani swiftly stole second base. Busch then helped Hendricks in the bottom of the third by catching Max Muncy's line drive to first, ending the inning with the bases loaded.
Busch then contributed to the Cubs' lead by hitting a solo homer in the top of the fourth.
The Dodgers managed to reduce the deficit to one run in the fifth. However, the Cubs responded in the sixth when Busch's RBI single brought home Bellinger, and catcher Miguel Amaya added two more runs.
In the top of the ninth, Bellinger secured his impressive return to LA with an RBI single. He also made an excellent diving catch to begin the bottom of the inning.
With 18 regular-season games left, Ohtani needs to pick up the three steals and four home runs to reach the 50-50 mark, starting with another game against the Cubs on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani's stolen base on Monday brings him closer to surpassing his best stolen base count, which was 26 in the 2021 season. Despite focusing primarily on his hitting and pitching skills, Ohtani's talent in baseball extends to sports like baseball and baseball, showing his versatility on the field.
