Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — It’s been a busy day for record keepers in Dodgerland. Not only did Shohei Ohtani make the 50/50 club on Thursday, the club clinched it’s twelfth straight trip to the postseason. And if that weren’t enough, with Ohtani’s 50th home run, he now holds a distinction that stands alone in over 100 years of Dodgers baseball. He is the now the Dodgers single-season home run leader, with 51 and counting. The homers in Miami have surpassed a record held until this day by Shawn Green. For nearly a quarter of a century Green has stood atop the franchise leaderboard with his 49-home-run season of 2001.
In that monster year, Green’s second in Dodger Blue, he hit 49 big flies, along with a .297 batting average and a .970 OPS. And, in case you’re curious, he swiped 20 bags that year for good measure. It was good for a top-ten finish in 2001 MVP voting in the National League (He Who Shall Not Be Named of the San Francisco Giants won that year).
And then along came Shohei Ohtani. It was pretty clear as the summer went along that Green’s home run mark was in jeopardy, and on September 19, in the 153 game of the season, it finally fell. Green, always one of the classiest Dodgers, reached out to Shohei via X/Twitter and delivered a heartfelt congratulations.
“Shohei,” Green began. “Congrats on becoming the new Dodgers single-season home run record holder. And more importantly, congrats on surpassing 50/50. What an absolutely amazing accomplishment. You’re the greatest player that’s ever lived, and I’m honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as you, at least for this week. Keep it going, buddy.”
Took the words right out of our mouths.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
