Refer Report
Played as a batter this season and recorded ‘54-59’
Expected to win amid evaluation of “It’s not a human world”
I have a dream that hasn’t come true yet LA Dodgers Shohei Otani is preparing to bat in the first inning of the away game in Colorado on the 30th, the last game of the regular season. Denver | AFP Yonhap News
Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) ended the 2024 regular season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.
Ohtani started as the designated hitter in the away game in Colorado on the 30th and recorded 1 hit and 1 stolen base in 4 at-bats. The Dodgers won 2-1.
‘Batterer Ohtani’s record, which warmed the hearts of baseball fans not only in the United States but also around the world this season, ended with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.
Ohtani added three home runs and two stolen bases at the same time in the game against Miami on the 20th, becoming the first major league player to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. After surpassing the new record of 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases, he added 3 home runs and 8 stolen bases.
Ohtani ranked first in home runs and RBIs (130) in the National League. He was aiming for the batting title and was expected to win the National League batting title for the first time in 87 years since Joe Medwick (St. Louis) in 1937, but his batting average was 0.310, giving up the batting title to San Diego’s Luis Arraez (0.314) and finishing in second place.
Ohtani, who won unanimous MVP honors twice and dominated the major leagues with two hits, underwent elbow surgery last season and was unable to throw this year, so he played only as a hitter and played cartoon-like baseball, easily surpassing 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases for the first time.
This is where Otani, who has been evaluated as “not from the human world,” really begins. Ohtani, who entered the Major League in 2018 but has never played a fall baseball game, moved to the Dodgers this year as a free agent and emphasized numerous times that he was “a choice to win.”
The contract annual salary was $700 million over 10 years, but the actual annual salary received was $2 million, with the remainder being divided over 10 years from 2034. Otani’s request was that the remaining money be used for ‘winning power.’
The Dodgers’ chances of winning are expected to be high again this year.
America’s ‘CBS Sports’ selected the teams most likely to win the World Series in that order: Dodgers, Philadelphia, and Yankees. ESPN also ranked the Dodgers first, with the Yankees and Philadelphia tied for second. It is time to watch the great Ohtani’s first fall baseball game to see whether he can show ‘manga baseball’ in the postseason.
Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), who competed with Ohtani for home runs, did not play in the final game against Pittsburgh. Judge finished the season with the most home runs (58) and the most RBIs (144) among all major league hitters.
Source: Korean