DENVER — Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th homer of the season Friday night against Colorado after earlier stealing base No. 57 to pass Ichiro Suzuki for the most in a single season by a Japanese-born player.
Ohtani finished 4-for-5, including a pair of singles and a double, and drove in four runs in the Dodgers’ 11-4 win. He now has 24 hits over his past 34 at-bats.
“Shohei, he put on a show,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ohtani is making a serious charge at a Triple Crown, leading the National League in homers (54) and RBIs (130). He raised his average to .309 to trail only the Padres’ Luis Arráez (.314 after going 3-for-5 against the Diamondbacks on Friday night) in the batting-title race.
He launched a towering three-run blast into the second deck at Coors Field in the sixth inning on a changeup from Rockies reliever Anthony Molina. It was a no-doubter at the crack of the bat, with the sellout crowd instantly erupting, an early show before the fireworks display that awaited after the game.
“[Ohtani] hits the ball really hard because he swings hard and he’s a strong man,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s a really unbelievable talent.”
His 408 total bases this season are second most in franchise history. Babe Herman set the record of 416 in 1930.
The Dodgers are now 38-12 this season when Ohtani goes yard.
“He’s locked in,” teammate Chris Taylor said. “He’s definitely in a zone right now. He’s feeling it. We’re all just watching him continue to have a good year and he’s finishing it strong.”
In the second inning, Ohtani — wearing spikes featuring a picture of his dog, Decoy — stole second to eclipse Suzuki’s mark set in 2001 with Seattle. Suzuki played for the Mariners, the New York Yankees, Miami and then briefly returned to Seattle over a career that spanned parts of 19 seasons.
Ohtani has successfully stolen 34 straight bases without being caught. It’s the second-longest streak in franchise history, trailing only Davey Lopes’ 38 in 1975.
Ohtani is 57-of-61 on stolen-base attempts the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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