Shohei Ohtani 50-50 stats tracker: Two-Time All-Star Shares Harsh Thoughts About Losing Record to Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani
Twenty-three years ago today, Dodgers power hitter Shawn Green was holding steady at 46 home runs. But at that moment, he wasn’t just sitting on that number — he was sitting out, along with the rest of Major League Baseball, during a week-long break as the country came to grips with the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
After Green and the Dodgers returned to the field on Sept. 17, he went on to hit three more homers to finish the season with a franchise record of 49.
Most of the attention this season has been on designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and his chase for the first 50-50 season. Very little has been said about the Dodgers’ record that he will break in the process.
Records are meant to be broken and with Ohtani sitting at 47 home runs, Green’s is soon to fall.
The two-time All-Star has come to terms with this. Thursday, Green shared his thoughts with Dodgers Nation about seeing Ohtani replace his name atop the storied franchise’s leaderboard.
“I think Ohtani is the greatest baseball player who ever lived. If he retired today he’d be the greatest baseball player,” Green said in a telephone interview with J.P. Hoornstra. “And so for me, it’s been definitely an honor to hold the most home runs in a season by a Dodger. If it’s going to get broken, why not be broken by the greatest player who ever lived?”
Since Ohtani burst onto the scene with the Angels in 2018, Green has been watching his career. Ohtani’s pursuit of the Dodgers’ home run record is just one impressive highlight in what has been a historic season for the Japanese two-way sensation. If things keep going this way, he could be on track to become the first full-time designated hitter ever to win an MVP award.
But there is one statistic that stands out to Green: Ohtani has had only two multi-homer games all season.
Ohtani blasted two home runs against the Atlanta Braves on May 5 and repeated the feat against the Kansas City Royals on June 16, both at Dodger Stadium. None of his other 43 homers were hit in the same game.
Ohtani has also been consistent throughout the season with his slugging. The streaky
Green racked up seven of his record-setting 49 home runs over a three-game span in Colorado and St. Louis from Sept. 6-8, 2001.
Green wasn’t the same type of player as Ohtani. He managed to achieve a 35-35 season with Toronto back in 1998, but he never imagined reaching a 40-40 mark for himself, or 50-50 for anyone.
“The pressure it puts on the other team — this guy’s going to hit 50 home runs so let’s put him on base, but he can steal bases too, so now he’s on second, now on third — we have to pitch to him,” Green said. “Both weapons lift up the other weapon.”
Ohtani’s pursuit of the first-ever 50-50 season, and his challenge to Green’s record, picks back up on Friday as the Dodgers kick off a three-game series in Atlanta.
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