Fastball

Shohei Ohtani Finishes in Even More Historic Company as Regular Season Comes to Close

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs and Shohei Ohtani is a huge reason why.

Brady Farkas

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) singles in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sept 29.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) singles in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sept 29. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Sunday afternoon to close out the regular season at Coors Field.

The win put the Dodgers at 98-64 while the loss dropped the Rockies to a putrid 61-101. The Dodgers finished first in the National League West and secured the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs, while the Rockies finished last yet again.

The Dodgers will have a first-round bye in the playoffs and then will play the winner of the battle between the Milwaukee Brewers and the third wild card team (to be decided on Monday).

Though he could have rested in the regular season finale, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani elected to play. He went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.

Ohtani is the clear-cut favorite for the National League MVP Award this season after putting together one of the best seasons we've ever seen in baseball history.

He ended up hitting .310, falling just shy of the batting title in the National League. He also pounded a league-high 54 homers and 130 RBI. He stole 59 bases and re-wrote the history books in several different areas.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Shohei Ohtani was 2nd in MLB in both HR & SB

He’s the 3rd player to finish a season top-2 in MLB in both HR & SB, joining:

1909 Ty Cobb
1908 Honus Wagner

And this one, also per Langs:

Shohei Ohtani led the NL in HR & had 59 SB

He’s the 5th player to lead his league in HR *and* have MORE than 40 SB in a season since 1900, joining:

1912 Tris Speaker (52 SB, 10 HR)
1909 Ty Cobb (78, 9)
1909 Red Murray (49, 7)
1903 Jimmy Sheckard (67, 9)

h/t @EliasSports

When Ohtani eventually wins the MVP, it will be his third award in the last four years. He previously won two awards with the Los Angeles Angels in the American League.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/History