Shohei Ohtani stole his 57th base of the season against the Colorado Rockies on September 27. He passed Ichiro Suzuki for the most steals in a single Major League Baseball season by a Japanese player.
Ohtani singled in the top of the second inning before taking second base off of Cal Quantrill. Ohtani reached the 50 steal mark earlier this season. He became the first player in MLB history to reach the mark while also hitting 50 home runs.
Suzuki stole 56 bases in 2001, his first year in the big leagues. He won American League Rookie of the Year, AL MVP, a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger award. Ohtani is currently the favorite to win MVP and likely a Silver Slugger Award as well.
Ohtani will likely not lead the big leagues in steals like Suzuki did. The Dodgers are playing their final series of the season, and Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds has 65 steals. However, he does have a chance to reach the 60 steal mark. He would obviously be the first Japanese player to do so, and he would become just the 15th Dodger to reach the 60 steal mark. He became the single-season home run leader for the franchise when he hit his 50th home run.
Photo: Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angels Dodgers steals second base for his 57th stolen base of the season against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning at Coors Field on September 27, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
