Dodgers Shohei Ohtani enters 40-40 club with walk-off grand slam
LOS ANGELES -- |A|
Shohei Ohtani entered the |B|
40-40 club in grand |C|
fashion Friday night, hitting |D|
a walk-off grand slam |E|
in the bottom of |F|
the ninth inning to |G|
reach 40 home runs |H|
for the season and |J|
lift the Los Angeles |K|
Dodgers to a |L|
Ohtani |O| stole his 40th base |P| earlier in the game, |Q| reaching on an infield |R| single leading off the |S| fourth inning, then stealing |U| second during Freddie Freemans |V| at-bat.
Ohtani is the |Y| fastest player in major |Z| league history to reach |A| the vaunted 40-40 mark, |B| doing so in his |C| 126th game of the |D| season. Alfonso Soriano held |E| the previous mark, reaching |F| 40-40 in 147 games |G| for the Washington Nationals |H| in 2006.
Ohtani is |J| the sixth major leaguer |K| to reach the milestone, |L| and the first Dodger.
|M| dir="ltr">"Its really more about |O| the winning," Ohtani said |P| through an interpreter. "Obviously |Q| the record is part |R| of the process, but |S| I think the most |U| important thing is about |V| winning the game."
Fridays |Y| blast was the first |Z| walk-off homer of Ohtanis |A| career and his third |B| grand slam.
"Its just |C| storybook -- 40-40 on |D| the same night," manager |E| Dave Roberts said. "I |F| dont know if thats |G| ever been done and |H| then he wins it |J| with a grand slam. |K| Hes definitely known for |L| the dramatics, and this |M| was something Ill remember |O| for a long time."
|P| dir="ltr">Ohtanis 389-foot shot snapped |Q| a 3-3 tie. Rays |R| center fielder Jose Siri |S| gave chase and the |U| ball bounced back onto |V| the field. He then |Y| threw it into the |Z| stands, so Ohtani didnt |A| end up with the |B| keepsake, according to Ohtanis |C| interpreter, Will Ireton.
Ohtani |D| took a curtain call |E| as the crowd of |F| 45,556 stood and cheered. |G| Teammates Miguel Rojas and |H| Tesocar Hernandez soaked him |J| with water on the |K| field.
"It means a |L| tremendous amount for me |M| to be able to |O| do this in front |P| of the home crowd," |Q| he said.
Ohtani joins |R| Soriano, Ronald Acuna Jr., |S| Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds |U| and Jose Canseco in |V| the 40-40 club. Acuna |Y| became a member last |Z| season, when he belted |A| 41 homers and stole |B| 73 bases.
Ohtani is |C| on pace to be |D| the first player with |E| 50 homers and 50 |F| stolen bases in a |G| season in MLB history, |H| according to ESPN Stats |J| & Information research. No |K| player has had 45 |L| homers and 45 steals |M| in a season.
After |O| never making the postseason |P| in his six seasons |Q| with the Los Angeles |R| Angels, Ohtani finds himself |S| in a pennant race |U| with the NL West-leading |V| Dodgers.
"The number one |Y| goal is to get |Z| to the postseason and |A| win the World Series," |B| he said. "Whatever the |C| outcome is for my |D| record, thats part of |E| the process."
Ohtanis 12 |F| stolen bases in August |G| without being caught are |H| the most in a |J| month by a Dodger |K| since Rafael Furcal was |L| 12-for-12 in September and |M| October 2007.
"I know |O| that hes taking very |P| good care of his |Q| legs to be able |R| to do it and |S| be that dynamic player," |U| Roberts said. "Hes doing |V| his homework on opposing |Y| pitchers and hes getting |Z| great jumps. Hes a |A| much better base stealer. |B| Hes very efficient."
Roberts |C| noted that earlier in |D| the season and going |E| back to when the |F| Dodgers faced the Angels, |G| Ohtani was tentative on |H| the basepaths and his |J| stolen base percentage wasnt |K| high.
"Hes an elite |L| base stealer with a |M| high success rate," the |O| manager said. "Im sure |P| therell be more dramatics |Q| to come."
New York |R| Yankees star Aaron Judge |S| leads the majors with |U| 49 homers. Hes favored |V| to win AL MVP |Y| honors with Ohtani predicted |Z| to do the same |A| in the NL.
"I |B| just dont see anyone |C| any better," Roberts said. |D| "Obviously Judge is in |E| the conversation, but man, |F| Id take Shohei."
Information |G| from The Associated Press |H| was used in this |J| report.
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