In 2011, Matt Kemp stole 40 bases and hit 39 HR’s. That was as close as any Dodger had ever gotten to a 40-40 season. Matt played in 161 games that year. He hit his 39th homer in the last game of the year. Matt would be injured crashing into the wall at Coors Field in 2012 and never came close to 40-40 again.
On Friday, August 23rd, 2024, Shohei Ohtani did something no MLB player ever has done. He reached 40 homers and 40 steals in the same game. And he did it dramatically as the Dodgers came from down 3-0 to win 7-3. Ohtani’s 40th homer was a walk-off grand slam.
Dodger Stadium went nuts. And in the postgame interview, Shohei got his first Dodger Gatorade bath. Miguel Rojas did the honors. Shohei also did it faster than any player had before. It took him 126 games to become the 6th ever MLB player to post a 40-40 season.
Jose Canseco was the first to do it in 1988. Barry Bonds was the first National League player to reach the milestone. He did it in 1996. Alex Rodriguez, 1998, Alfonso Soriano, 2006, and Ronald Acuna, 2023, were the other players making it to the milestone. Acuna stole 73 bases last year. Acuna just missed doing it in 2019 when he had 41 homers and 37 steals.
I believe that it wasn’t accomplished much sooner in the history of the game is because the players in those days were either speedsters or power hitters. They were not the athletes’ players are today. Also, the conditions under which the game is played today, and back then, are so much different.
For one, you do not have ballparks that have the dimensions that some fields had in those eras. There is no Polo Grounds with a center field fence that no one hit the ball over. Forbes Field had huge dimensions too. Yes, there were fields then that were very hitter friendly, but opponents did not play there often enough to benefit from that.
Stadiums today are much more uniform. Although not the same dimensions, the average distances to the fences are much closer. So, home runs still can come in bunches. As for the stolen bases, baseball changing the size of the bases themselves, limiting pick off plays to two before they can call a balk, and the pitch clock, have allowed runners to take more chances.
It will be something over the next several years to see if Ohtani, once he returns to the mound, can put up these kinds of offensive numbers. I do think playing on the Dodgers with all of the talent around him and not having to be “The Man” like he was with the Angels whenever Trout was out of the lineup, will make him a better hitter, and not just a slugger.
He hit .304 last year in 135 games. He is at .292 this year in 128. He is 3 hits shy of his total from last year. He is 1 RBI away from his total last season. Production wise, he should surpass all of last season’s numbers. It is still my belief he is wasted as a leadoff hitter, but that is simply my opinion. 
Minor League Results
Wisconsin 5 Great Lakes 2: De Paula went 2-4, he is hitting .222. Biddison went 2-5 with a homer. Romero gave up 4 runs and took the loss.
Tulsa 5 Springfield 3: Santana was 2-3 with a homer. Davis was 1-3 with a homer. Alleyne was 2-3 with an RBI. Ferris went 4 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs a walk and 2 strike outs. Morillo got the win with 2 scoreless innings.
OKC 5 El Paso 3: Dalton Rushing hit his 3rd homer. Lipcius drove in the winning runs in the bottom of the 8th with 2 strikes and 2 outs. OKC trailed 3-0 at one point but scored 5 unanswered runs over the next 4 innings for the win. Wrobleski went 5 innings allowing 8 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks and 9 Ks. Four relief pitchers kept El Paso off of the scoreboard after they scored 2 in the top of the 5th. Henriquez got the win, and Michael Petersen got his 9th save. OKC won 5 of the 6 games. The second consecutive series where they have won 5.
Lake Elsinore 8 Rancho 3: After taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, a five-run top of the sixth by Lake Elsinore could not be overcome by the Quakes. They did rally for 2 in the bottom of the 7th, but a 3-run ninth by the Storm sealed the defeat. Patick went 4 scoreless innings giving up 1 hit and striking out 2. Alex Makarewich pitched 1.1 innings allowing 5 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out one and was tagged with the loss. The Quakes managed 6 hits, Quintero, Munoz and Meza drove in the runs. Hope went 1-3 with 2 walks and he scored a run. Kendall George is still on the 7-day IL.
Around the League
The Cubs outrighted infielder, David Bote to AAA. Robbie Ray left his start for the Giants with a tight hamstring. The Pirates placed C, Joey Bart on the IL and recalled C Henry Davis. The Rays are selecting the contract of RHP, Erasmo Ramirez. Jacob Lopez, who started against the Dodgers on Sunday will be sent back to AAA. The Pirates are placing CF, Michael A. Taylor on outright waivers. The Nationals optioned C, Riley Adams to AAA and are calling up top prospect Dylan Crews. Crews was the #2 selection behind LSU teammate, Paul Skenes. The Marlins are calling up prospect Griffin Conine. The Tigers are calling up pitching prospect, Ty Madden. The Marling claimed Mike Baumann of waivers from the Angels. Mets infielder, Brett Baty will miss 4-6 weeks with a finger fracture. X-Rays of Ohtani’s forearm, where he was hit by a pitch showed no damage.
Good and important win with the D-Backs and Padres just not slowing down.
Hopefully the x-rays on Ohtani were true.It looked so similar to what happened to Mookie.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
The pitch hit him on the forearm, not his wrist. Something like that makes your hand go numb for a little bit. He was lucky because the pitch was a little slower than the one that hit Mookie. 91.7 I think it was.
When Shohei was signed, I thought 50 HRs was a possibility. He’d be protected in the lineup and get more ABs with an offensive juggernaut.
I had not expected the Dodgers to let him run wild.
With 31 games to play, a 50-50 season is possible.
Not likely, but possible….
The batting order is looking complete with the return of Mookie and Muncy and the addition of Edmund.
Starting pitching is a major concern of mine with Glasgow and Yamamoto not being a sure thing. Addition of Flaherty softens the loss of those two a bit, but we need a pre-injury Yamamoto to show up in a big way.
Need Smith to hit like he did early in the season and the line-up will be even more complete.
Hoping Graterol can return and be impactful. His stuff plays up in the post season and Kelly needs to be placed on the post season taxi squad. Hudson scares me to death with a close game on the line.
Rushing has gone 8-for-21 and has reached in all 18 games since arriving in OKC.
i don’t have velocity or pitch info, but in six games:
381 with four walks and two extra-base hits
Dodgers should think about calling up Rushing for the postseason. Since the backup catcher (Barnes) will not play much anyway in the playoffs Ruhsing could be the backup catcher and potent bat off the bench.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Rushing, as noted previously, could be the backup LF and offer C versatility.
And gain playoff experience.
A true longshot, but fun to think about.
Rushing is not on the 40-man, and they would have to do it before this weekend. That alone makes it highly unlikely that he will get the call up.
He doesn’t need to be on the 40, he just needs to be in the organization.
But it’s highly unlikely he’s on the playoff roster.
40-40. Great accomplishment. Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle could have done it if they wanted to. Probably multiple times. I think Ohtani can reach 50-50 though 48-50 is probably more likely.
Something is wrong with both Freddie and Smith. Freddie is OPS’n. .560 in the last two weeks, .678 in the last 28 days. Smith’s slump is even longer. Much longer in fact, going back to June. He’s a bottom of the order hitter now.
Speaking of that, something I wanted to mention in yesterday’s thread. From the 6th inning on, if all goes according to plan, the bullpen will face the top of the order once. When Kopech came in the other day, after pitching the night before, Doc brought him in to face the bottom of the order. Didn’t work out. That’s where I would use Kelly. No matter what inning in which that happens, that’s when I would use him. And I know it won’t always be possible, but there’s a few down there I would prefer not using back to back days. Not yet anyway. Maybe later in September but not now. Sure helps when the starter goes 7 doesn’t it. Stone’s done it 8 times in 24 starts. Twice in row. He leads the team in wins an IP. He’s been the ace of this staff.
Agree
Time for Stone to get some ROY love. He’s been phenomenal for us. The key to October is to get Glasnow and Yamamoto back to full capability. Then we have a real shot.
Next starts for Buehler and Miller will be crucial for them. Can they keep building on some momentum.
IMHO Buehler has his last chance. Has not had a single good game all year. Miller with his latest outing has earned 2-3 more starts.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
14 hits, 5 runs, 25 K’s and 5 walks in his last 23.2 innings. Leads the team with the best record in baseball in Wins. Those are definitely ROY numbers.
Writers are in love with Skenes. And the kid with the Padres, Jackson Merrill, has 19 homers with a month to go, and he leads the Padres in WAR.
Agree
Freeman does have a broken finger.
“Doc brought X in to face X…. Didn’t work out.”
Been playing that record too often IMO.
Performance is always on the player. Hudson, Treinen, Kelly and Brasier are all in their middle 30’s. They are not going to be in peak condition every night. Back-to-back for those guys is asking a lot. In fact, more than half of the Dodgers roster are in their 30’s. Sometime soon, they are going to need to get younger.
Good point. I still think Doc has some of the worst luck ever when it comes to those pitching changes.
Wrong place, wrong time. Just like sending Kelly back out in game 5 of the 2019 LDS to pitch a second inning.
Maybe before he tore his knee up in the 51 series. His knee was never right after that. His high-water mark in steals was 21. Yankees did not play that type of baseball. As for Mays, he did steal 40 once. 1956, he had 40 steals and 36 homers. He had 6 consecutive years where he stole 20 or more. Freeman is dealing with that hairline fracture in his finger. Might be affecting his swing some. As for Will, he seems to be out of sync. Could be tired, most likely his mechanics are way off.
I know all that. But he could still run. Stealing bases wasn’t really popular and frankly wasn’t really necessary on his teams either. He was in his career quite successful at stealing bases.
153 career steals caught 38 times. Yep, pretty decent. Mays had 339 and was caught 103 times.
With Ohtani throwing off a mound.
Guys and gals, imagine this scenario:: Dodgers in Game 7 of the WS. Lead by one. All pitchers in the pen already used. Need 3 outs for the title. Then Ohtani picks up his pitching glove and comes in to close it out. Legendary stuff.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep dreaming. They wouldn’t take the chance.
Ohtani pitched in relief in the WBC to clinch the title game, so who knows.
Not a chance. That was after pitching a full season. They won’t let him throw full bore until next spring.
Don’t forget Kershaw pitched part of the 9th inning against Washington to close out the NLCS several years ago.
Of course all of this is speculation/fun.
True, but Kershaw was not owed 698 million over the next 19 years.
I see a lot of those players were on the juice. Which makes it even more impressive.
“It is still my belief he is wasted as a leadoff hitter, but that is simply my opinion.”
I think this has already hurt the Dodgers in some games, and will do the same in the playoffs. I also believe it hurts his stats. I think it’s borderline dumb LOL.
Thanks Rodger. I have been pounding this drum for a while. He actually has better stats in the 2 hole. I believe a bat like his should be hitting at least 3rd in the lineup. But like I said, that is just my opinion.
I agree with this take too Bear.
I agree.I think he needs to bat when and where the dodgers have the most men on.
I feel like Mookie is the more natural one spot. He gets on base and when the 7-8-9 guys are doing well you have a major problem when Ohtani is on deck.
Like you said, it’s an opinion. But what other team does this? IMO, probably none of them bat Ohtani leadoff.
Ohtani has been the leadoff hitter in 120 games as a starter.59 of those as a Dodgers and his BA this season doing that is .266. His BA as a leadoff hitter is .268, but in the 2-hole, it is .287 in 309 starts. Much better hitter there. Ok in the 3 and cleanup, but not spectacular. Mookie hits .296 leading off, and 228 of his career homers have come in the one position. 50 of those are leadoff homers.
I agree. I like Betts leading off better than Ohtani. Heck, give Lux a shot leading off.
He doesn’t walk enough.
Canseco, Rodriguez and Bonds were for sure using. I so not remember Soriano being in that crowd. Acuna is just a natural talent.
Has J Heywad been picked up yet or were the dodgers correct and he is just done with baseball. If he was of any help I would surely think someone like the Royals or Guardians would want his veteran leadership or the Braves.
Heyward was DFAd on Thursday before the Rays series. The Dodgers have 7 days to either trade, which they cannot do, or release him. He has not been released as of today. In order for another team to pick him up on waivers, they go in reverse order of their standings. An example, if a player were released, he could be taken by 29 other teams before the Dodgers could take him because they have the best record in the majors. He will no doubt be placed on release waivers.
DateTransaction
08/24/24- Los Angeles Dodgers released RF Jason Heyward.
08/22/24 – Los Angeles Dodgers designated RF Jason Heyward for assignment.
Thanks Phil. They did not post that until today.
Just some random thoughts:
*Bear mentioned “you do not have ballparks that have the dimensions that some fields had in those eras”.
Dodger Stadium is one of the few parks in the league that is symmetrical. That went out of style with the multipurpose domes and astroturf. The older parks and the newest parks all seem to have some interesting nooks and grannies that makes outfield play interesting. I have no stats on that, just my guess.
*Nice to see Stone pitching well. He has little fugues during the game but he’s showing the ability to right the ship.
*I wonder how much Freddie Freeman’s recent struggles could be effecting his at concentration? He’s such a pro and he would never admit it publicly but he’s had distractions; struggles with his son’s health, cracking his finger, which he’s playing through, and the DFA of his good pal Heyward.
Since Heyward’s DFA, Freddie’s 1 for 13. That may be a coincidence but that’s a lot on his plate to cope with lately. Just Sayin.
I totally agree with that.
Bear, earlier you and Bluto were having a conversation with regard to the possibility of Rushing’s being added to the playoff roster.
You said that he’d have to be added to the 40-man by the end of the month to be eligible.
That’s actually not correct. A player need only be “in the organization” by Aug 31st in order to be eligible, so technically any player on any of the four Dodger minor league teams could be added to the playoff roster.
Actually, I was incorrect about the above.
In order for a player “in the organization” to be added to the playoff roster, he needs to be replacing an injured player who has already served the full amount of injury time. So, for example, if a player was put on the 10-day IL and had served at least 10 days on the list, he could be subbed for by any player in the organization.
The way AF maneuvers those lists, I’m sure he’d find a way to add Rushing if he wanted to.
The problem lies with the fact that you have to petition the commissioner’s office, and he is the one who makes the yea or nay call. But I think there is no way Rushing gets called up to be on the playoff roster. They are hesitant to use Pages down the stretch, why would they call up a guy who hasn’t even seen MLB pitching. Makes zero sense. They like Vets in that scenario.
STB, I see no room to add Rushing to either the expanded roster to 14 or the playoff roster back to 13.
Mookie RFOhtani DHFreeman Teoscar LFSmith CMuncy 5LuxEdmanRojas BarnesKiermeierKikeCT3I would personally keep Pages in AAA until Sept 1 to become the 14th guy.
When the roster goes back to 13, I would keep Pages on the playoff roster as a pinch hitter vs LHP. Pages is at .337/.871 vs LHP. CT3 would be my victim. Kike’s playing well right now despite his poor average.
I agree with both you and Bear. Next to no chance that AF will want to add Rushing. I was just saying it was possible to do if he really wanted to. But he won’t want to. But if he did………………But he won’t.
Pirates are moving O’neal Cruz to CF.
I seem to remember Kemp hitting a ball in the last game of the year that was caught up against the right center fence in San Diego that in most parks would have been a home run and it would have given him 40 for the year. He was a foot away from being a 40 40 guy.
Does anyone know what is going on with Outman.
I”ll defer that last question to Eric.
He is at OKC. He played the other day.
Last I saw he was on restricted list
He’s on paternity leave
Thanks Ron
I didn’t know the answer to that question. But I’m glad to know now. I noticed he hasn’t played recently.
I really don’t know how I feel about Ohtani leading off. If he is going to lead off we need somebody at the bottom to get on. On the plus side Leading off means you get more at bats. It just seems like in the first inning he swings at the first pitch and makes an out. Then, u feel like it was a wasted at bat. What I do like is u don’t have him and freeman hitting back to back where a lefty neutralizes both of them. Also, it is nice when they bring in the lefty for Ohtani and Betts gets to bat against the lefty. That was the situation when Betts hit the 2 run homer to win the game. Betts is very good against lefties. I would rather he lead off as Ohtani and freeman hitting back to back. For a variety of reasons freeman has just not been Freeman this year and Smith has been no help after the first of the season. I think Freeman and smith should have a huge hot streak left in them.
Freddie is not having a Freeman type year. He is not hitting lefties like he normally does. He is hitting 16 points below his career .300 average. His career splits against LHP is .273. He is hitting .240 against them this season. 5 of his 17 homers are off of lefties.
Padres thumping the Cardinals in the seventh inning, 7-2. Looks like they will pick up half a game.