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Shohei Otani has made history again.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star became the fastest player in major league history to join the 40-40 club on Friday, doing so in stunning fashion in a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
It looked like Otani wouldn't get another hit in the game unless it went to extra innings with the score tied at 3-3. But Will Smith opened the ninth with a pitch and Tommy Edman followed with a single. After a sacrifice bunt from Miguel Rojas and a groundout from Gavin Lux, Max Muncy grounded out for Enrique Hernandez and drew a walk to load the bases and bring Otani to the plate.
Rays reliever Manuel Rodriguez had no choice but to pitch the ball to Otani with the bases loaded. On his first pitch, he hit an 84 mph slider over the plate, and Otani slammed it into center field.
Otani earned his 40th stolen base in the fourth inning, grabbing second base on a single from Tyler Alexander, putting him one strike away from joining an exclusive club.
The two-time MVP entered Friday’s game with 39 home runs and 39 stolen bases on the year. He joined the 30-30 club earlier this month in the Dodgers’ 10-0 win over the Oakland Athletics, making him the third-fastest player in league history to reach that mark. He did it in 108 games, one behind Alex Rodriguez, who set it in 1998 with the Seattle Mariners and 18 behind Eric Davis, who did it in 90 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1987.
Otani is now just the sixth player in Major League Baseball history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. Ronald Acuña Jr. achieved that feat last season, when he stole an astonishing 60 bases. Alfonso Soriano, Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco are the others in the 40/40 club.
All five players needed until late September to achieve the feat. Soriano was the fastest before that, on September 16, 2006. Otani is about a month ahead of that mark.
Ohtani is averaging .292 with a .992 OPS and has 40 home runs this season, his first with the Dodgers. He leads the National League in home runs, trailing only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, who hit his 49th home run of the season on Friday. Only Cincinnati Reds star Eli De La Cruz has stolen more bases this year, with 60.
While he is still recovering from elbow surgery that sidelined him this year, Otani has put in a stellar performance to earn the National League Most Valuable Player award this season. His recent record has only added to that campaign, with more than a month left in the regular season.
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