Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Wins Prestigious Award

J.P. Hoornstra | Sep 23, 2024

Sep 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani claimed his 10th career Player of the Week Award on Monday.

Perhaps none of the first nine were so obvious as this one.

Thursday in Miami, Ohtani finished 6 for 6 in one of the greatest individual games ever in baseball history.

Ohtani was sitting on 48 home runs coming into the game, and stayed there until the sixth inning. His 49th homer against George Soriano sailed deep to left field and tied Shawn Green's franchise record for the most home runs in a single season ever by a Dodger.

Ohtani's 50th home run of the season against Marlins pitcher Mike Baumann broke the mark in the seventh inning and officially made Ohtani the first 50-homer, 50-steal player ever.

In the ninth inning, Ohtani's third home run of the game — off position player Vidal Brujan — gave him 10 RBIs, making him one of 16 players in baseball's modern era with 10 or more RBIs in a game.

Since RBI became official in 1920, only one MLB player has had, over the course of his entire career (same game or not),

a game with 10+ RBI
a game with 6+ hits
a game with 5+ XBH
a game with 3+ HR
a game with 2+ SB

That one player is Shohei Ohtani. He did all of it today. pic.twitter.com/njXOmwHKnm

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 20, 2024

For the week, Ohtani hit .500 (16-for-32) with six homers, 17 RBI, two doubles, two walks, 11 runs scored, seven stolen bases, a 1.125 slugging percentage and a .543 on-base percentage in seven games.

In addition to his league-leading home run and RBI totals, Ohtani led MLB for the week in OPS (1.668), hits (16), extra-base hits (8), total bases (36), runs and stolen bases; ranked second in batting average; and sixth in on-base percentage.

Ohtani also recorded three games with at least one homer and at least one stolen base, and now has a record 15 such games this season. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson set the previous record of 13 games with a home run and a stolen base in 1986.

Ohtani becomes one of 23 players with at least 10 career Player of the Week awards after he previously won twice this season with the Dodgers (6/24 and 5/6) and won seven times as a member of the Angels (7/30/2023; 7/3/2023; 6/20/2023; 7/6/2021; 6/21/2021; 9/10/2018; and 4/9/2018).

Ohtani is the eighth player since 1973 to claim at least three awards in both leagues, joining Carlos Beltrán (6 NL/4 AL); Adrián González (5 NL/3 AL); Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero (7 NL/3 AL); Manny Machado (4 AL/4 NL); Mark McGwire (5 AL/5 NL); Al Oliver (5 NL/3 AL); and Gary Sheffield (9 NL/3 AL).

Overall, it is the fifth Player of the Week award claimed by a Dodger this season, and the first since Gavin Lux won on July 22.