Ohtani has 3 homers and becomes first 50-50 player as Dodgers clinch playoff spot

Ok, that's just dandy.

You've well illustrated to everyone here the old adage, "You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink."

Or it just means that people are oblivious to the reality. Again, different teams, different pitchers, different ballparks, same situation for both the AL and NL.

Tell me and everyone here, just exactly what difference there is between the pitchers in the AL and NL league? I mean really now, there are many that have been traded between leagues and are successful in both as well.

How does it make the AL and NL league pitchers "different"?

The what 32 ballparks in both leagues are ALL different. What makes the AL parks different from the NL parks?

The rules of the game are EXACTLY the same in both leagues. SO what is different?

 Shohei Ohtani set a major league record by homering and stealing a base in the same game for the 14th time and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the last-place Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Friday night.

But no! According to some posters here this isnt a record!

A couple of friends of mine are saying that the other teams are letting Ohtani get home runs

Well, Marlins are a team in full tank mode to try and get Ethan Holliday with the #1 pick in the next draft. Ohtani's 2nd HR was against a guy who has been on 5 teams this season. The 3rd HR was against a position player. Ohtani is sure helping the Marlins.

@gokai--your friends may be getting that from the rare times the catcher is too late to attempt a pick off throw, or the down by 10 runs surrendering Miami Marlins position player lobbing a meaty pitch for Ohtanis 3rd home run today. As Fighto says, trying to help your opponent succeed when there is a single digit score differential is a total taboo. A Twins minor league catcher was fired for that about a week ago.

Gokai wo maneku-

A couple of friends of mine are saying that the other teams are letting Ohtani get home runs and steel bases

I'm afraid you are going to have to inform your friends they are way off the mark.

If that were happening, it would be match fixing. It's highly illegal. In football as a comparison, can you imagine opposition goalkeepers allowing Messi to score freely "just to create publicity" and "make everyone a lot of money"?

Nope.

YubaruToday 05:35 pm JST

Same pitchers, ALL ball parks are different, rules are the same, inter league play means nothing.The game of baseball is the same in NL or AL, it's literally incredulous that anyone would even suggest there is a difference in the game!

Ok, that's just dandy.

You've well illustrated to everyone here the old adage, "You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink."

olly gee, do I have to spell it out for you?

Of the total games that an MLB team plays in a season, only 28% are interleague games.

The other 72% are played against teams in its own league (either American or National).

HENCE, the pitchers, the stadiums etc. that a National League hitter faces in the aggregate over the season can be considered to be quite different from that which an American league hitter faces.

This has absolutely nothing to do with your hairbrained theory that

Anybody who knows anything about baseball knows that a direct comparison of stats cannot be made across the American and National leagues. Different sets of pitchers, stadiums, etc. that the batters face.

By your idea here, if Judge played in the NL he wouldnt be as good? It's because he's in the AL? Oh wait Otani was MVP in the AL, and now he will probably be the MVP in the NL.

Same pitchers, ALL ball parks are different, rules are the same, inter league play means nothing.

The game of baseball is the same in NL or AL, it's literally incredulous that anyone would even suggest there is a difference in the game!

What an incredible season Ohtani has had. This season and his brilliant career to date have clearly put him as a leading candidate in the GOAT conversation.

A couple of friends of mine are saying that the other teams are letting Ohtani get home runs and steel bases because of the publicity that baseball gets. This is a way to bring back crowds and make everyone a lot of money. Really???

No

A couple of friends of mine are saying that the other teams are letting Ohtani get home runs and steel bases because of the publicity that baseball gets. This is a way to bring back crowds and make everyone a lot of money. Really???

there’s american league, national league and pedantic league.

I just wish he'd start giving interviews in English.

There's simply no need. When you have Ohtanis' unbelievable wealth, you can focus on training/playing full time - and hire professional translators to do press conferences and interviews. The same way as he can hire chefs to cook all his meals, cleaners to do all his housework, etc.

YubaruToday 01:44 pm JST

Huh? Do you forget that the national league has the DH now?

Golly gee, do I have to spell it out for you?

Of the total games that an MLB team plays in a season, only 28% are interleague games.

The other 72% are played against teams in its own league (either American or National).

HENCE, the pitchers, the stadiums etc. that a National League hitter faces in the aggregate over the season can be considered to be quite different from that which an American league hitter faces.

I wonder what bookie odds his buddy got at the start of the season to go 50-50

ignore if you don't care

You can't ignore it. This site and all the tv stations are leading their news bulletins about a guy hitting a bal, pushing aside serious issues in the name of jingoism.

they kept mentioning something called a "magic number". I think it was 8 for his team. What does this mean?

It’s the number of wins by your team or losses by the next nearest team chasing a playoff spot for your team to clinch that playoff spot. It’s only talked about in the last month or two of a regular season. How close is a team to the playoffs?

Magic number is 0? Already in the playoffs.

Magic number is 1? A win by my team or a loss by the next nearest team puts my team in the playoffs.

Magic number is 8 with 20 games left in the season? Should be an easy glide into the playoffs.

Magic number is 8 with only 5 games left in the season? Mathematically, my team still has a chance, but it’s a long shot—win 4 of the next 5 games and hope that the next nearest team loses 4 out of 5 of theirs (or some combination of 5 and 3).

But the Dodgers have already clinched a playoff spot, so I’m not sure what the news report was about. Some other team? Or maybe the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch home field advantage during the playoffs (currently tied for the best record in the National League with the Phillies)?

But Aaron Judge is also not a pitcher.

Neither is Shohei Ohtani this season.

Because of his injury and surgery after last season, he’s not pitched once this year. Ohtani doesn’t even touch the field defensively this season. Every two or three innings, he swings at some pitches and maybe runs some bases.

You don't know what the word "record" means. It's NOT a record. He is the first player to do it.

Being the 1st to accomplish something no one else has done, IS in fact a record.

The first person who ran a mile in under 4 minutes set a record. It was broken numerous times after, BUT they set a record. In reality they "broke" the previously set "record" and replaced it with a new one.

Same with Otani, he is the first to set the record of having 50 homeruns and 50 stolen bases in one season, THAT is in fact a "record".

Being the first to do something, anything, is a "record", whether you agree or not. I really dont think you know what a record refers to in sports. It's both a record, and a new standard as well. And it will last until someone else comes along and does it better than he has.

@Some dude

Good question. Different ppl will give different answers. I think for most it represents the balance of both power and speed. Ichiro, at the moment, has more stolen bases (speed) than Ohtani, but not the same number of home runs. On the other hand, Matsui he’d lots of home runs (power), but not as many stolen bases as Ichiro (speed). Whereas Ohtani possesses both power and speed.

To the baseball bashers, a 50/50 is significant because he proves he has power (50 HRs) and speed (50 stolen bases) and is a thief (50 stolen bases).

In soccer terms, that's like scoring 50 goals and having 50 assists (I think). Or in Olympic terms, that's like winning the 100 meters and deadlifting a truck.

I just wish he'd start giving interviews in English.

Anybody who knows anything about baseball knows that a direct comparison of stats cannot be made across the American and National leagues. Different sets of pitchers, stadiums, etc. that the batters face.

Huh? Do you forget that the national league has the DH now?

If you knew anything about baseball your theory here would be used to compare team by team. There is no longer any difference between the leagues, well maybe there is a difference in your imagination, but not in reality.

I don't follow baseball much, so I can't grasp the magnitude of this. What would it be in other sports (and by "other sports", that can include Sports They Care About Outside America Too).?

The man!

The myth!

The legend!

I KNOW what I am talking about and if Ohtani were still in the AL, he would more than likely lose the MVP to Aaron Judge. Good thing he left because Judge is having a MORE monster season. Facts.

As an Angels fan, I probably would have been arguing with you til 2022(we knew he was gone after 2023 so his awards/records didn't matter much). However now that he is on the Dodgers, have at him! lol

MocheakeToday  12:26 pm JST

MilesTegToday 11:48 am JST

MocheakeToday 10:50 am JST

You do NOT know baseball.*

Nobody cares or will remember Judge's WAR, OBP, OPS, etc, blah, blah except angry little self proclaimed experts in little rooms fuming that Ohtani gets all the attention but Judge doesn't because Ohtani set a significant MLB record*

You don't know what the word "record" means. It's NOT a record. He is the first player to do it. Maybe you don't understand the difference. I KNOW what I am talking about and if Ohtani were still in the AL, he would more than likely lose the MVP to Aaron Judge. Good thing he left because Judge is having a MORE monster season. Facts.

record:

at a higher level than ever achieved before:

The long hot summer has led to a record harvest this year.

Inflation has reached record levels.

We finished the work in record time (= faster than had ever been done before).

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/record#google_vignette

You don't know what you're talking about. He set a record for at least 50Hrs & 50 SBs in a regular season. You need to go back to school. LOL!

Nobody will care or remember Judge's year except angry little know-it-alls like you but they'll care and remember Ohtani's record.

To those of you who seem so strangely intent on downplaying Ohtani's achievement or great ability, please enlighten the rest of us as to your motivation and purpose in doing so.

A means of assuaging your own lack of self esteem?

A dislike of any praise related to Japan?

Just a contrarian by nature ?

Look, with the 50/50 and more, this guy has achieved what no one else has in the Entire history of the game.

they kept mentioning something called a "magic number". I think it was 8 for his team. What does this mean?

It means the Dodgers need a combination of a total of 8 wins or 8 losses by the Phillies to clinch the best record in the NL. If they do so, they get home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.

I can't remember how they decide the World Series home field advantage. It used to be the winning league of the all star game. But that might have changed back to which ever team has the best record overall. Right now, the NL teams have better records than the AL teams. If that's the case, then The Dodgers are looking to clinch home field advantage, should they get to the WS.

Judge?! a fantastic home run hitter, but nothing like Ohtani. Some people just obviously don’t know anything about baseball.

player in the history of the game has ever hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases

No player in history has won the MVP as a designated hitter

Only one other player has won the MVP in both leagues(Frank Robinson)

No player has ever had such an amazing game as today, six hits, three home runs, 17 total bases, 10 runs batted in, two stolen bases, reach 50-50, break his team’s record for most home runs in a season, and clinch a playoff berth.

This has nothing to do with Japanese bias, the American media who clearly understand baseball are all in agreement about this

Add to that the fact that he is one of the best pitchers in baseball and such a humble person, and he truly is in a world of his own.

finally he gets to go to the post season, I just hope the Dodgers pitching can hold up

MilesTegToday 11:48 am JST

MocheakeToday 10:50 am JST

> You do NOT know baseball.

> Nobody cares or will remember Judge's WAR, OBP, OPS, etc, blah, blah except angry little self proclaimed experts in little rooms fuming that Ohtani gets all the attention but Judge doesn't because Ohtani set a significant MLB record

You don't know what the word "record" means. It's NOT a record. He is the first player to do it. Maybe you don't understand the difference. I KNOW what I am talking about and if Ohtani were still in the AL, he would more than likely lose the MVP to Aaron Judge. Good thing he left because Judge is having a MORE monster season. Facts.

I'm only sad that Vin Scully didn't get to call it.

If you'd have told me before the season that Ohtani was going to get 50 HRs and 50 SBs, I would have told you that you were nuts. But really, nothing is out of reach of this guy. Could win the Cy Young and lead the league in homers in the same season? I'm not going to bet against him.

MocheakeToday  10:50 am JST

You do NOT know baseball.

Nobody cares or will remember Judge's WAR, OBP, OPS, etc, blah, blah except angry little self proclaimed experts in little rooms fuming that Ohtani gets all the attention but Judge doesn't because Ohtani set a significant MLB record.

Well done. Another great from a great country.

Great! And I hope he can start pitching again soon!

stanleyjToday 10:30 am JST

YubaruToday 09:27 am JST

By whose definition? The Japanese media? There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year. But then the articles written here do show quite a bit of bias.

Bringing Judge into the equation is simply off the mark (off base, if you will).

Anybody who knows anything about baseball knows that a direct comparison of stats cannot be made across the American and National leagues. Different sets of pitchers, stadiums, etc. that the batters face

Then you can't compare ANYTHING, but everything is compared. The stats don't lie. There are interleague games as well so you definitely can compare. What are you talking about?

Can't tell some people the truth. Look up all the available stats. Ohtani leads in stolen bases and runs. WAR? Judge is ahead Average? Judge. Home runs? Judge. RBI? Judge. Slugging? Judge. On-base pct? Judge. OPS? Judge. Down vote it but you can't change it. The stats don't lie.

Best ever, hands down. Could almost forget that he's also a formidable pitcher the way he's playing... Get back to that part next season.

MilesTegToday 09:59 am JST

YubaruToday 09:27 am JST

> By whose definition? The Japanese media? There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year. But then the articles written here do show quite a bit of bias.

> Judge has got the higher batting average and more RBIs but it's not a huge gap. He's only stole 10 bases and he certainly can't pitch. This is a Japanese site isn't it and Judge isn't setting any MLB records this year. Sounds like you're the one with a bias.

> 3Hrs, 10RBIs, 2SBs...that's quite a day. Baseball greatness

You do NOT know baseball.

This guy! Not only a legend on the field but seems like a really nice guy as well!

What's next?

55 / 55 ???

justaskingToday 09:33 am JST

There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year.

> But Aaron Judge is also not a pitcher.

Ohtani has not pitched this year and he is statistically behind Aaron Judge in almost every category, including WAR, which is the main measure nowadays of a player's worth.

"Ohtani has 3 homers and becomes first 50-50 player as Dodgers clinch playoff spot."

Congratulations Ohtani San, that's not a small feat. And globally you have made many children smile and believe more in their abilities. Please, keep it up

With nine games remaining, 55-55 is a real possibility. Big lead for NL home runs and with today’s 10 RBI’s most likely will lead the League in that as well.

For Japanese players today passes Matsui for most season RBI’s, and only five off of Ichiro’s 56 stolen bases.

YubaruToday  09:27 am JST

By whose definition? The Japanese media? There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year. But then the articles written here do show quite a bit of bias.

Bringing Judge into the equation is simply off the mark (off base, if you will).

Anybody who knows anything about baseball knows that a direct comparison of stats cannot be made across the American and National leagues. Different sets of pitchers, stadiums, etc. that the batters face.

I think we should appreciate greatness while we can. I remember always being excited at watching Micheal Jordan winning championships with the Bulls. Watching Tiger Woods in his prime winning majors with majestic drives. And now Shohei Ohtani bringing the excitement back to baseball. We should enjoy it while we can.

@David Brent

If Ohtani coverage riles you up, I would advise you to stay away from your TV set tonight and through the weekend. Hours of talk about 50-50 to fill the three day holiday weekend.

Good question about magic number. I think it is a thing in NPB, while in MLB they talk about clinching the league or division title differently. What you saw on NHK last night was not about Dodgers, who already guaranteed a playoff spot with their win today, but a story about the Yomiuri Giants needing 8 wins to get their first league title in four years. My guess is the magic number is mostly marketing hype to remind fans to keep packing stadiums even when a team has an easy path to the playoffs.

Futaro GamagoriToday  10:02 am JST

Why are some people too sensitive about this?

Saying someone is great doesn't cancel out the "greatness" of the others

They can all be great at the same time

Just enjoy if you like it and ignore if you don't care

It's the same with tennis. Fanboys of the "big three" will never stop their childish name-calling about who's the "best". People just have to be right all the time.

Incredible game by the best baseball player ever.

yes, no excellent performance goes unpunished on jt.

Why are some people too sensitive about this?

Saying someone is great doesn't cancel out the "greatness" of the others

They can all be great at the same time

Just enjoy if you like it and ignore if you don't care

YubaruToday  09:27 am JST

By whose definition? The Japanese media? There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year. But then the articles written here do show quite a bit of bias.

Judge has got the higher batting average and more RBIs but it's not a huge gap. He's only stole 10 bases and he certainly can't pitch. This is a Japanese site isn't it and Judge isn't setting any MLB records this year. Sounds like you're the one with a bias.

3Hrs, 10RBIs, 2SBs...that's quite a day. Baseball greatness.

Wow! Unique, one of a kind, incredible…The Unicorn!

*know

I no nothing about baseball, so I have a question. On the NHK news at 9pm last night, during the obligatory fawning over Ohtani, they kept mentioning something called a "magic number". I think it was 8 for his team. What does this mean?

Hats off to the G.O.A.T of baseball! Astonishing feat.

Ohtani has achieved everything this season. He'll be looking to next season now to go even better - perhaps a 60-60 as well as slowly getting back into his best in MLB pitching.

Congratulations Shohei! And he was so close to hitting for the cycle as well. The NL MVP is in the bag now.

There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year.

But Aaron Judge is also not a pitcher.

Already the consensus best player in baseball.

By whose definition? The Japanese media? There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year. But then the articles written here do show quite a bit of bias.

The Greatest Of All Time! Next to none.