MLB News Today: Shohei Ohtani makes Dodgers history; Aaron Judge's top slugging form continues and more
Friday was another historic day as two former MVPs put on a show, one in the East and the other in the West. Bearing the fruits of good hitting were the LA Dodgers and the New York Yankees, two teams that are favorites for this year's pennant fight.
Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge continued to shine for their respective teams while setting personal milestones. Let's check it out:
Shohei Ohtani joins the historic 40-40 club
With bases loaded and one man out, the situation could not have been more ideal for the Dodgers two-way star to set foot in the exclusive club of 40-40. Rays reliever Manuel Rodriguez was dispatched to center field by Shohei Ohtani to register a walk-off grand slam. With it, he also became the fastest player in MLB history to enter the 40 home runs and 40 steals club in a season.
Ohtani achieved the feat in only 126 games, breaking the previous record of Alfonso Soriano, who did it in 147 games. He also became the only sixth member of this club. The other five members are as follows:
- Alfonso Soriano: 147 games (2006)
- Jose Canseco: 151 games (1988)
- Ronald Acuña Jr.: 152 games (2023)
- Alex Rodriguez: 153 games (1998)
- Barry Bonds: 158 games (1996)
The Dodgers won the game 7-3 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Aaron Judge continues home run spree
The New York Yankees crushed his 49th long ball of the year against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. It was a 388-foot home run in the left field coming against Rockies' Kyle Freeland in the sixth inning to extend the club's lead and eventually win the game 3-0.
More importantly, this was Aaron Judge's fifth homer in the last four games as he progresses towards the 60-home run mark, something he did in 2022. He also has a chance to break his own record of 62 home runs in a single season in AL history.
Mariners register extra-inning victory in Dan Wilson's managerial debut
Former Seattle Mariners catcher Dan Wilson succeeded Scott Servais, who was let go from the Mariners' managerial role on Thursday. Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants was Wilson's debut game as a manager for the Mariners and he tasted victory.
After trailing for the majority of the game, the Mariners scored four runs in the eighth to tie the game 5-5 and then added one more in the 10th to register a come-from-behind 6-5 victory.