Shohei Ohtani becomes first MLB player with 43-43 season following 380 ft moonshot against D-backs

LA Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani continues his ascension to having one-of-a-kind season in the first year of his blockbuster 10-year, $700 million contract. On Friday, he added to his historic home run and stolen bases tally after he hit his 43rd home run, a solo 380 ft. home run, in the eighth inning against Paul Sewald to take the Dodgers up by 10-0.

Earlier in the second inning of the game, Ohtani stole second base off Zac Gallen, his 43rd stolen base of the season. With a steal and a home run, Ohtani's historic mark advances to 43-43, becoming the only player in MLB history to have 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases in a season.

While Shohei Ohtani etched his name into the history books the Dodgers faced a huge scare as the Diamondbacks threatened a remarkable comeback with a four-run ninth inning only to fall short in a 10-9 loss.

Shohei Ohtani becomes the quickest to reach 40-40 club

Syndication: Arizona Republic Source: Imagn

Not long ago, Shohei Ohtani added his name to history books after he became the quickest to reach 40-40 club, following his walk-off grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays on 23rd August.

He broke the previous mark of Alfonso Sorirano's (147 games) to reach the 40-40 mark in 2006. Ohtani reached there in just 126 games. Moreover, among the six players in the elusive 43-43 club, Ohtani is the only hitter to have reached there in August. Other members almost took the majority of September to reach there.

1. Jose Canseco: 151 games (1988)
2. Ronald Acuña Jr.: 152 games (2023)
3. Alex Rodriguez: 153 games (1998)
4. Barry Bonds: 158 games (1996)

"Obviously really happy, but most importantly really happy that we were able to win today. So I'm just extremely honored that I've been part of this history," Shohei Ohtani said via his interpreter.

"Obviously the record is part of the process, but I think the most important thing is about winning the game."

With him already reaching the 43-43 mark with a month of regular season remaining, anything Shohei Ohtani adds from here on will remain the benchmark for seasons to come. Moreover, he has the chance to breach the 50-50 mark and he is currently on pace to reach there comfortably.