Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Joins Elite Company with Another Statistical Feat

Another day, another impressive Ohtani feat.

Stop me if you've heard this before: 

Shohei Ohtani made Angels history.

In the Angels' 10-6 loss to the Oakland A's, Ohtani stole his 20th bag of 2023, making him the 34th player to have 40 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.

For Ohtani, this is nothing new. The 29-year-old superstar accomplished the feat in 2021, when he was awarded as the AL's Most Valuable Player.

As Sonja Chen notes for MLB.com, only seven other players have accomplished this feat, and the list has a few names you've probably heard before. Alex Rodriguez (four), Barry Bonds (three), Jose Canseco (three), Shawn Green (two), Ken Griffey Jr. (two), Jeff Bagwell (two) and Hank Aaron (two) all boast multiple 40-20 seasons.

Ohtani, who wowed baseball fans once again this season with his remarkable ability to dominate from the mound and at the plate, received unfortunate news when it was discovered that he has a tear in his UCL.

The extremely likely 2023 AL MVP held a 3.14 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 23 starts for the Angels. As a hitter, Ohtani leads the major leagues with 44 home runs and a 1.066 OPS.

The Angels, however, have not had as impressive of a season. The Halos are virtually eliminated from the playoff race sitting 12.5 games behind in the AL Wild Card with under a month remaining in the season. 

As Ohtani has repeatedly emphasized his desire to win, he could decide to explore other options in free agency, where he is likely to attract one of the largest contracts in baseball history.

Ohtani and the Angels will host the Baltimore Orioles, who hold the second-best record in all of baseball, Monday at 6:38 p.m. EDT.