Los Angeles Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Now Chasing Seattle Mariners Legend in History

Now that Shohei Ohtani has reached the 40/40 mark, he has his sights on the historic season put together by Seattle Mariners legend Alex Rodriguez in 1998.
Seattle Mariners infielder Alex Rodriguez against the Chicago Cubs at HoHokam Stadium in 1998.
Seattle Mariners infielder Alex Rodriguez against the Chicago Cubs at HoHokam Stadium in 1998. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam on Friday night to help the Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. By getting a home run and a stolen base in the same game, Ohtani now has 40 homers and 40 steals. This was the fastest in major league history that any player has ever joined the prestigious club.

There has never been a player to go 50/50 in a season, and Ohtani will certainly have a good chance over the last six weeks.

But before he can worry about that, he'll have his sights set on besting the historic 1998 season put together by Seattle Mariners legend Alex Rodriguez.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Shohei Ohtani is on pace for 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases

No player has ever had that combination in a season

highest total a player has reached in BOTH HR & SB in a season is 42: 1998 Alex Rodriguez 42 HR & 46 SB

That 1998 season was magical for Rodriguez, who also hit .310 that year with 124 RBI. Despite those amazing numbers, he finished just ninth in the American League MVP voting, which is shocking in its own right. He paired with Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez to make up one of the best offensive units in team history.

All in all, Rodriguez was a 22-year veteran who spent seven seasons in Seattle. He was a three-time MVP and a 14-time All-Star. He won a batting title with the Mariners in 1996 when he hit .358.

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