Is Shohel Ohtani the fastest in MLB history to reach the 40-40 club? All you need to know about the Dodgers star's clutch walk-off
On Friday, it was time for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani to grab the headlines after he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays to win the game 7-4. However, this hit had something extra to it.
After stealing a base earlier in the fourth inning – his 40th of the season – Ohtani crushed the ball to center field to reach 40 home runs in the season already, becoming the sixth man in MLB history to get into the exclusive 40-40 club.
Moreover, he was the quickest of them all to do it, achieving the feat in just 126 games, breaking the previous record of Alfonso Soriano who did so in 147 games in 2006. The other four names in the 40-40 club are:
- Jose Canseco: 151 games (1988)
- Ronald Acuña Jr.: 152 games (2023)
- Alex Rodriguez: 153 games (1998)
- Barry Bonds: 158 games (1996)
Furthermore, Ohtani is also the fastest in terms of the date. The other five members of the 40-40 club needed most of September to reach the mark, with Soriano being the fastest among them by reaching there on Sept. 16, 2006. Ohtani did so on Aug. 23.
Now, with over a month left in the regular season, Ohtani has set his eyes on the exclusive 50-50 club, where no one is present at the moment.
Shohei Ohtani receives Gatorade shower from teammates
After Shohei Ohtani crushed the grand slam, the atmosphere at Dodger Stadium was a sight to behold. And of course, his teammates surrounded him in wild celebration.
When Ohtani was engaging in an interaction with sideline reporter Kirsten Watson, several Dodgers players made sure to give him the customary Gatorade shower treatment.
"Obviously really happy, but most importantly really happy that we were able to win today. So I'm just extremely honored that I've been part of this history," Shohei Ohtani said via his interpreter. "Obviously the record is part of the process, but I think the most important thing is about winning the game."
The Dodgers (77-52) are seemingly in killing mode already, distancing themselves from chasers like the Arizona Diamondbacks (73-56) and San Diego Padres (73-57), with them now 4.0 and 4.5 games behind them, respectively, in the NL West standings.