Watch: Dodgers' Ohtani inches toward prestigious club with HR

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) watches his solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani inches toward prestigious club with 39th homer

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Aug 18, 2024 5:21 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is inching closer to another remarkable feat.

On Sunday, in the top of the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, Ohtani blasted an 80 mph pitch from starting pitcher Sonny Gray for a 396-foot solo home run, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. According to MLB's X account, the exit velocity was an astounding 113.5 mph.

Shohei Ohtani ropes his NL-leading 39th HR of the season! pic.twitter.com/EJ56PryyoB
— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2024

Ohtani is on the verge of becoming the sixth player in MLB history to notch 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season. Through 122 games, the designated hitter has 39 home runs and 37 stolen bases.

The 40-40 club includes Ronald Acuna Jr., Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco.

Ohtani could also join Bonds and Brady Anderson as the only players with 50 or more stolen bases and 50 or more homers in a season. Anderson had 53 stolen bases in 1992 and 50 homers in 1996, while Bonds had 52 stolen bases in 1992 and 73 home runs in 2001.

With 37 games remaining on the Dodgers' schedule, there's still plenty of time for Ohtani to reach these milestones.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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