Los Angeles Dodgers Superstar Shohei Ohtani Continues Historic Power Surge

Shohei Ohtani wasn't done hitting home runs just because he joined the 40-40 club on Friday, going deep yet again in the Los Angeles Dodgers' showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Aug 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani made waves with his walk-off grand slam on Friday night, becoming the fastest to ever join the 40-40 club the the process.

But the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar wasn't done pursuing history just yet.

Ohtani notched a single in the first inning and reached via a catcher's interference in the fourth. He scored the Dodgers' first run of the night, but his team still trailed 5-4 when he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth.

The Tampa Bay Rays' young ace Taj Bradley wasn't giving Ohtani much to work with, trying to paint corners and avoid delivering anything too juicy. Bradley eventually left a splitter over the plate, though, and Ohtani gave it a ride.

Ohtani snuck a 338-foot, two-run home run just inside the right field foul pole, putting Los Angeles on top 6-5.

The incredible Shohei Ohtani 🤯

A 2-RUN BLAST FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/UDXjgGXVWf

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2024

While the Rays eventually forced extra innings and stole a 9-8 win on the road, Ohtani's home run was a big one. The 30-year-old designated hitter is now batting .294 with 41 home runs, 94 RBI, 40 stolen bases, a .998 OPS and a 6.6 WAR in 2024.

Per TSN's StatsCentre, Ohtani now has the fourth-most home runs by a Dodgers player in their teams first 130 games of a season. Shawn Green, Adrian Beltre and Cody Bellinger each had 42 home runs to this point in the season in 2001, 2004 and 2019, respectively.

Green was in his second season in Dodger blue when he achieved that feat, while Bellinger was in his third and Beltre was in his seventh. Ohtani, meanwhile, is in the midst of his first campaign with the franchise.

Most home runs by a @Dodgers player in their team's first 130 games of a season:
42- Shawn Green (2001)
42- Adrian Beltre (2004)
42- Cody Bellinger (2019)
41- Shohei Ohtani (2024 via going yard in a losing cause vs TBR on Saturday)
40- Duke Snider (1955)
40- Gary Sheffield (2000) pic.twitter.com/dMvpnZnehA

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) August 25, 2024

The Dodgers inked Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract last December, luring the two-time AL MVP away from the Los Angeles Angels. Given everything he's accomplished over the past five months, it's safe to say Ohtani has lived up to that price tag so far.

Ohtani and the Dodgers will close out their series against the Rays on Sunday. First pitch for the rubber match is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

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