Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani on Pace to Break Huge Modern Record

Shohei Ohtani might not steal 50 bases again in 2025 — or any year — but his offensive prowess has him on pace to do something no National League player has achieved since the 1800s.

With 73 runs in the Dodgers' first 72 games of the season, Ohtani is on pace to set the modern NL record for runs in a season, with 164. It's a mark that only two players have achieved since 1900. Both played in the American League, and both are Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth in 1921 (177) and Lou Gehrig in 1936 (167).

That's pretty good company.

The last National League player with 164 or more runs in a season was another Hall of Famer, Billy Hamilton, in 1895.

Hamilton, Wee Willie Keeler and Joe Kelley are the only NL players to have scored more than 164 runs in a season. All did so in 1894 or 1895, which were the two highest-scoring seasons in NL history.

Ohtani has benefitted from batting atop MLB's most talented lineup, as ranked by ESPN on Tuesday. Through Monday, the Dodgers' 5.55 runs per game lead all of baseball.

After citing Ohtani's ridiculous runs-scored pace, David Schoenfield noted that two-way play did not negatively affect Ohtani's offense in 2023 with the Angels when he posted a 1.066 OPS.

Ohtani has also benefitted from a league-leading 25 home runs. For perspective, the 25 runs he's scored just by driving himself in are one fewer than Max Muncy and Michael Conforto have scored all season. (The two veterans have scored 26 runs apiece.)

In addition to runs and home runs, Ohtani is leading the NL in slugging (.643), OPS (1.039), OPS+ (190), and intentional walks (nine) through Monday.

On top of all that, Ohtani added pitching to his official duties. He threw the first inning Monday in the Dodgers' victory over the San Diego Padres.

It's shaping into another MVP-caliber season for the two-way star who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023.

Ohtani won the award in his first season with the Dodgers, and his slash line through Monday (.300/.396/.643) is almost identical to what it was a year ago (.310/.390/.646).

Now, thanks to a little more power at the plate and production from the rest of the Dodgers' lineup, Ohtani might just find his way into the record books — again.