Steve Webb
CHICAGO, IL — Shohei Ohtani continues to make us all shake our heads. His latest feat? No big deal, just breaking a Dodger team record that is seventy years old. With Shohei’s homer in the top of the first inning on Wednesday night against the White Sox, Ohtani had his tenth straight game with an RBI, breaking a franchise record that he shared (for about 24 hours) with four other players.
“Well, there are many situations where there are runners, and it’s true that I have a record of my own,” he told reporters in Japanese on Wednesday night. “The first thing I’m thinking about is to continue without going crazy, so I think that’s what’s going to pay off as a result.”
“He’s the most talented baseball player we’ve ever seen,” stated MLB TV analyst Mark DeRosa on Thursday morning. DeRosa then recounted a story of broadcasting some team USA games in Japan more than a decade ago. “Even then, he was the best player on the field, this at sixteen, seventeen among big leaguers.”
The RBI mark that he surpassed on Wednesday was last reached in the same season (Matt Kemp did it it between two seasons, but that hardly counts) by Dodger legend and Hall of Famer Roy Campenella, who accomplished that feat in 1955, when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. That year, Campanella hit .318 with an OPS of .985 and drove in 107 runs en route to winning his third and final National League MVP. He’s got some work today if he wants to set the MLB record, which has been held by first baseman Ray Grimes of the Cubs, who had that amazing run from June 27 through July 23, 1922. Can Ohtani reach those heights? I’m not betting against him, are you?
Will Shohei follow the Dodger legend Campanella to an MVP at year’s end? Only time will tell, but it is certainly trending in the right direction. Currently, he leads the National League in batting average (.322), home runs (25), slugging percentage (.633), total bases (200), OPS+ (194), and WAR (4.7). Not too shabby. Enjoy it while you can, Dodger fans. These moments don’t come around often…
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