Shohei Ohtani came into the Los Angeles Dodgers' final game of the 2024 MLB season with the mathematical possibility of winning the National League Triple Crown.
But with a 1-for-4 outing at the plate on Sunday, September 29, Ohtani finished the regular season with a .310 batting average. San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez still leads the NL in batting (.314) heading into the final day of the season.
On Monday, Dominican designated hitter Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves, who's batting .304 and is currently trailing Ohtani and the league leader, will have an outside shot at moving ahead of Arraez. The Braves play a doubleheader against the New York Mets to wrap up the regular season.
Playoff games begin on Tuesday. But the Dodgers (98-64), winners of three straight NL West titles, will be off until Saturday, October 5, when they will play host to a yet-to-be-determined team in the NL Division Series.
Ohtani won the NL home-run crown with a career-high 54 clouts and also finished No 1 in RBIs (130) on a day when the visiting Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 at Coors Field.
St Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Joe Medwick was the last NL player to win the Triple Crown, doing so in 1937.
'Focused on Having Quality At-Bats'
Ohtani insisted his focus wasn't on bidding to win the Triple Crown on Sunday.
"I didn't think about the Triple Crown or how close I was to it today," Ohtani was quoted as saying through an interpreter by The Associated Press. "Today, I was focused on having quality at-bats."
In the American League, the most recent winner of the Triple Crown was Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Before Cabrera, the impressive feat hadn't been achieved in the AL since Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox in 1967.
Shohei Ohtani Stays Healthy for the Entire Season
Looking back on his spectacular season as the Dodgers designated hitter, which also included seven triples, 197 hits, 411 total bases (only the 19th player in MLB history to do so), a .646 slugging percentage and a 1.036 OPS, Ohtani pointed out that he was an active presence in the lineup since Opening Day. (He appeared in 159 of 162 Dodgers games.)
"First and foremost, I think the most important part of all this is that I was able to play consistently throughout the whole year," Ohtani told reporters through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. "I'm very thankful and grateful for all the staff who supported me throughout this year."
With a career-high 59 stolen bases in 63 attempts, Ohtani also became MLB's first 50-50 player (homers and stolen bases in the same season). His combination of power and speed have made him a global icon.
Keeping a Hitting Streak Alive
In the season finale, Ohtani grounded out three times before slashing a single to right in the eighth inning. He advanced to second on a double steal, registering his 36th consecutive successful steal attempt.
Ohtani finished the season with a 12-game hitting streak. In that span, he had seven homers, 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases while batting .547.
A Manager's Perspective
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who's in his ninth season at the helm, remains in awe of Ohtani's intense focus on the field every day.
"I think the thing that I marvel at is the expectations that are put on him, that he puts on himself, and to still go out there every day and put on a show," the Okinawan-born skipper told reporters, according to MLB.com.
Roberts added, "I can't imagine the pressure with all those expectations. But his preparedness, his work, is very, very focused."
MVP Talk: Shohei Ohtani is the Runaway Favorite
In the NL, Ohtani's name is at the top of the list of MVP candidates. The two-time unanimous AL MVP has made the Dodgers' investment of $700 million USD (about ¥100 billion JPY) for the record-setting 10-year contract look like a brilliant business decision.
For instance, the Dodgers had the highest home-game attendance among MLB's 30 clubs (48,657 per game). They also led MLB in road attendance (36,100); the Phillies are a distant No 2 (31,975).
Ohtani is the star attraction. He's now on the verge of joining an elite group of stars with three MVP awards: Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Schmidt and Mike Trout, Ohtani's former longtime Los Angeles Angels teammate.
Barry Bonds is the all-time leader in MVP awards (seven).
RELATED:
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- A 50-50 Season! Shohei Ohtani Achieves Historic Feat
- [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Shohei Ohtani is on Pace to Become MLB's 1st 50-50 Player
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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