Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Showed Off Historic Talents Again in August

Shohei Ohtani already has 10 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 21 runs this months, earning the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar a spot in the MLB history books.

Aug 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs out a ground ball against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani may have come up empty at the plate on Thursday, but he has still put up a historic stat line this month.

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Thursday night's finale against the Baltimore Orioles. The Dodgers held on to win without help from Ohtani, though, claiming the series thanks to their 6-3 victory.

Ohtani is currently batting .292 with 42 home runs, 95 RBI, 102 runs, 42 stolen bases, a .990 OPS and a 6.6 WAR so far this season, putting him in the driver's seat to win NL MVP. He may only be hitting .226 in August, but Ohtani has managed to rack up 10 home runs, 19 RBI, 21 runs and 14 stolen bases this month regardless of the lackluster batting average.

According to StatMuse Baseball, Ohtani is now just the second player in MLB history to record at least 10 home runs, 20 runs and 14 stolen bases in a single calendar month. He joins Carlos Beltran, who did so with the Houston Astros in August 2004.

Shohei Ohtani in August:

10 HR
14 SB
20 R

Just the 2nd player to reach those numbers in a calendar month (Carlos Beltran, Aug 2004). pic.twitter.com/laYj9rsakQ

— StatMuse Baseball (@statmusemlb) August 30, 2024

The Dodgers have two games remaining before the calendar turns to September. If Ohtani can either hit another home run, steal three more bases or score five more runs in that time, he will pass Beltran and start a club all for himself.

Of course, Ohtani is no stranger to making history and carving out spots in the record books.

Ohtani won AL Rookie of the Year in 2018, then took home AL MVP in both 2021 and 2023. He was both an All-Star slugger and a Cy Young contender during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, and once he fully recovers from the elbow surgery he underwent last fall, Ohtani figures to do the same with the Dodgers.

For his career, Ohtani is a .277 hitter with a .934 OPS, on top of boasting a 38-19 record, 3.01 ERA, 1.082 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings on the mound. Ohtani is averaging 41 home runs, 104 RBI, 104 runs, 25 stolen bases and 8.0 WAR per 162 games through seven big league campaigns, a stat line that has only ever been matched by Barry Bonds.

The 10-year, $700 million contract the Dodgers signed Ohtani to last December is looking like a better deal with each passing game, and it will soon be time for him to prove his worth in the postseason.

Los Angeles owns the best record in baseball at 80-54, in addition to a 4.0-game lead atop the NL West. The Dodgers are opening up a road series against the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, however, meaning they could either see that gap grow or shrink in a major way before the weekend is done.

First pitch for Friday's divisional showdown is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.

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