Shohei Ohtani has made history again – this time in a great way.
The Dodgers superstar hit a walk-off grand slam for his 40th home run on Friday night against the Rays, becoming the fastest player to accomplish the feat in MLB history. He is the first 40/40 player in Dodgers history and only the sixth MLB player ever to do so.
The two-time AL MVP and current favorite for NL MVP started the season with 39 home runs and 39 stolen bases on Friday. He stole a base in the fourth inning and then retired a groundout in his next two at-bats. But with the score tied, the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom half of the ninth inning, Ohtani sent the first pitch he saw from Colin Poche just over the fence in right-center, giving the Dodgers a 7-3 victory.
Shohei Ohtani hits walk-off grand slam and joins the 40/40 club
Ohtani made it into the 40/40 club after just 126 games, beating the previous record of 147 games set by Alfonso Soriano of the Washington Nationals in 2006.
And with more than a month left in the season, Ohtani could soon become the first player in MLB history to hit 45 home runs and 45 steals in a season.
Here are the previous 40/40 seasons and how they compare to Ohtani’s historic campaign.
1988: Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics: .307/.391/.569/.959;
This was a stellar year for Canseco. He showed a combination of power and speed rarely seen in baseball and delivered the first 40/40 season in MLB history. In addition, he achieved a batting average over .300 for the only time in his career and led the AL in batting average. Canseco won the American League MVP award and eventually helped the Athletics reach the World Series. They came up just short that year, losing the series 4-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1996: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants: .308/.461/.615/1.076; 42 HR, 40 SB
Barry Bonds holds many records, but in the first half of his career he showed a superb combination of power and speed that was lost on younger fans who saw him break home run records. In 1996, Bonds finished with 40 steals, the third time in his career he had 40 or more, and he also hit 42 home runs. Despite hitting 40 home runs and 40 steals in his second season ever, he did not finish in the top three in MVP voting. After winning MVP voting in 1990, 1992 and 1993, the bar was a little higher for the dynamic outfielder.
Despite his incredible performance, the Giants finished last in the NL West and missed the playoffs, which is likely one reason he didn’t earn more MVP support.
1998: Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners: .310/.360/.560/.919; 42 HR, 46 SB
Rodríguez, the player with the most stolen bases in 40/40 seasons, managed over 40 steals for the first and only time in his career, when he stole 46 bases and deflected 42 big flies. Those numbers helped A-Rod win MVP for the second time in his career, but somehow he only finished ninth in the voting, despite also leading the AL in hits (213) for the season and finishing in the top five in RBI (124), total bases (384), runs scored (123) and extra-base hits (82).
Despite his greatness, however, Rodríguez and the Mariners remained below .500 and did not qualify for the playoffs, a sure reason for the lack of MVP votes despite the historic season.
2006: Alfonso Soriano, Washington Nationals: .277/.351/.560/.911; 46 HR, 41 SB
Soriano was the first player to ever hit 45 or more home runs with 40 or more steals in a season, and the youngest player to post a 40/40 season. Even more impressive, it was his only season in Washington, and his 46 home runs remain a franchise record for a single season to this day. It was also the only time in his career that Soriano hit over 40 home runs, and the last time he even hit over 35 big flies. In addition, it was also the last time in his career that he reached 40 stolen bases.
However, all of these numbers and his franchise record were not enough to secure the MVP honor – like the teams from the two 40/40 seasons before Soriano’s season, the Nationals failed to make the playoffs and ended up in last place in the NL East.
2023: Ronald Acuña, Jr., Atlanta Braves: .337/.416/.596/1.012; 41 HR, 73 SB
It was clear at the start of last season that Acuña would surpass 40 steals. The main excitement was how many home runs he would hit at the end. Well, he hit his 40th in the last week of the 2023 regular season, shortly after stealing his 70th base. This made him the founding member of the 40/70 club. The previous record for steals among 40/40 members was 46 by Rodríguez in 1998. Acuña had already made history earlier this year by becoming the first player to record 30 home runs and 60 steals. He was also the first player in the National League to record a 40/40 season when his team reached the playoffs.
All in all, Acuña was awarded an MVP award and one of the most impressive seasons of all time.
2024: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers: .292/.378/.614/.992; 40 HR, 40 SB (until August 23rd)
Ohtani’s epic shot on Friday night may have all but secured his third MVP award and brought him one step closer to a previously unthinkable 50/50 season.
RELATED: Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge as sure MVP? Best choice in the American League? Joey Votto, HOFer?
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