Dodgers Dugout: Did Shohei Ohtani have the greatest game in MLB history?

Sports Desk

3 months ago

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Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and there are only nine games left in the regular season for the Dodgers. Then, we go through our own version of “Knott’s Scary Farm.” The Dodgers clinched a postseason spot with Thursday’s win over the Marlins.

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In case you were vacationing on Neptune and missed it, Shohei Ohtani had a monster game on Thursday, going six for six with three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs. That made him the first person in MLB history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.

It’s a remarkable feat, one he made look relatively easy considering he also is rehabbing from elbow surgery while trying to return as a pitcher. He leads the NL in homers (51) and RBIs (120) and is second in the majors in those categories behind Aaron Judge (53, 136). Ohtani is also fifth in the NL in batting average (.294), but it would take a massive collapse by Luis Arráez, hitting .320, for Ohtani to win the Triple Crown. He is second in the NL (and the majors) with 51 steals, behind the 64 by Elly De La Cruz.

Yes, I could attempt to pour some cold water over it by pointing out it is a bit easier to steal bases now, with the larger bags, the penalty on too many throws to first, etc. But that’s like going to view the Sistine Chapel ceiling and complaining that there was a small crack on one edge.

Ohtani also set the Dodgers record for home runs in a season, surpassing the 49 hit by Shawn Green in 2001.

Is it the greatest offensive season in Dodgers history? Ranked by OPS+, which allows us to compare players across eras (think of it this way, a guy hitting .290 when the league batting average is .250 is having a better year than a guy who hit .290 when the league batting average was .285), it is third since the advent of the live ball era in 1920:

1997 Mike Piazza, 185 OPS+ (.362/.431/.638, 32 doubles, 1 triple, 40 homers, 124 RBIs, 5 steals)
1985 Pedro Guerrero, 182 OPS+ (.320/.422/.577, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 33 homers, 87 RBIs, 12 steals)
2024 Ohtani, 179 OPS+ (.294/.376/.629, 34 doubles, 7 triples, 51 homers, 120 RBIs, 51 steals)

Of course, OPS+ doesn’t factor in steals. I’d say this is the greatest offensive season in Dodgers history.

The other thing to look at is whether Thursday was the greatest offensive day in MLB history. Do the players who hit four home runs in a game outshine a guy who had a single, two doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases?

First, of all the players who have three-homer games, none have had the other numbers Ohtani had Thursday. So, it’s the greatest three-homer day in MLB history. Let’s see how the four-homer players did:

Lou Gehrig, 1932 Yankees, 4 for 6, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 16 total bases
Chuck Klein, 1936 Phillies, 4 for 5, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 16 TBs
Pat Seerey, 1948 White Sox, 4 for 6, 4 homers, 7 RBIs, 16 TBs
Gil Hodges, 1950 Dodgers, 5 for 6, 1 single, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 17 TBs
Joe Adcock, 1954 Braves, 5 for 5, 1 double, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 18 TBs
Rocky Colavito, 1959 Indians, 4 for 4, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 16 TBs
Willie Mays, 1961 Giants, 4 for 5, 4 homers, 8 RBIs, 16 TBs
Mike Schmidt, 1976 Phillies, 5 for 6, 1 single, 4 homers, 8 RBIs, 17 TBs
Bob Horner, 1986 Braves, 4 for 5, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 16 TBs
Mark Whiten, 1993 Cardinals, 4 for 5, 4 homers, 12 RBIs, 16 TBs
Mike Cameron, 2002 Mariners, 4 for 5, 4 homers, 4 RBIs, 16 TBs
Green, 2002 Dodgers, 6 for 6, 1 single, 1 double, 4 homers, 7 RBIs, 19 TBs
Carlos Delgado, 2003 Blue Jays, 4 for 4, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 16 TBs
Josh Hamilton, 2012 Rangers, 5 for 5, 1 double, 4 homers, 8 RBIs, 18 TBs
Scooter Gennett, 2017 Reds, 5 for 5, 1 single, 4 homers, 10 RBIs, 17 TBs
J.D. Martinez, 2017 Diamondbacks, 4 for 5, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 16 TBs

None of the above had a stolen base in their four-homer game.

Now Ohtani: 6 for 6, 1 single, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 10 RBIs, 2 steals, 17 TBs

Is a single, two doubles, three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs better than a person who hit “only” four homers or four homers and a single and nothing else (with fewer RBIs?). I say yes.

That leaves us with Adcock, Green and Hamilton. Did they have a better game than Ohtani? The best candidate is Green, who also had six hits and more total bases than Ohtani, but fewer RBIs and steals.

I believe it was the greatest offensive day in MLB history.

I’m interested in what you think. Did Ohtani just have the greatest offensive game in MLB history? Click here to vote.

What others are saying

Ohtani: “Just happy, relieved and very respectful to the peers and everybody that came before that played this sport of baseball,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton. “If I’m being honest, it was something I wanted to get over as soon as possible.”

Dave Roberts: “This game has been around for a long time. And to do something that’s never been done — he’s one of one.”

Miguel Rojas: “I almost cried, to be honest with you. It was a lot of emotions, because of everything that happens behind the scenes that we got to witness every single day.”

Betts: “I think he was just feeling good, feeling sexy and just knew, like, ‘I’m about to do this today.’ I mean, he could’ve had four homers today. I’m at a loss for words.”

Marlins manager (and former Dodger) Skip Schumaker, caught on camera in the dugout discussing whether to intentionally walk Ohtani to stop him from piling up his numbers: “F— that. I’ve got way too much respect for the guy.” And after the game to reporters: “That’s a bad move baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball gods-wise. You go after him and see if you can get him out.”

Shawn Green: “If you’re gonna lose a record, you want it to be to a great player, and he’s the greatest player who has ever lived. And the fact that he did it in such historic fashion may be even better. To get to 50-50, that’s not a Dodgers thing, that’s an unprecedented Major League Baseball milestone. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how amazing he’s been throughout his career, but especially this first season with the Dodgers, with all the pressure coming over. It’s really mind-boggling what he’s been able to do.”

Your questions answered

Now I am ceding the stage (stop clapping) to our Dodgers beat writer, Jack Harris, who will answer a few questions. These are the questions I get asked most often by readers, so it’s good to get an outlook from someone with the team almost every day.

Q. The postseason is about to begin and the main question is of course the rotation. It seems to me that Jack Flaherty is solid, despite the occasional shaky outing. But how would you classify Landon Knack, Yoshinobu Yamamato and Walker Buehler, and will they be able to get more than four innings out of Yamamoto?

Harris: Flaherty and Yamamoto will definitely anchor the rotation. And yes, Yamamoto should be built up to around five to six innings by the start of the playoffs.

After that, there are bigger questions. Buehler has been better lately, but still has a 5.54 ERA on the season. Knack has been solid, with a 3.39 ERA, but has completed six innings twice this year.

Clayton Kershaw could factor into the picture, as well, if he returns from his toe injury.

Q. How realistic is it to expect to see Kershaw pitch this postseason?

Harris: It’s not a guarantee, but is looking likelier by the day. His 80-plus-pitch bullpen session this week was a hugely encouraging sign. And because Kershaw has been able to keep his arm in shape in recent weeks (he has played catch on most days), he will still be built up once his toe heals.

The question, of course, is whether the toe will heal in time for the playoffs. Roberts has been careful not to get his hopes up. But at this point, I’d probably be more surprised if we don’t see Kershaw on the mound again this year.

Q. How realistic is it to expect to see Ohtani pitch this postseason?

Harris: It’s still very much a long shot, and might require Ohtani to advocate for it himself — something he has not done yet.

I do see the appeal in keeping Ohtani as a viable pitching option, even if it’s just for a handful of innings here or there (if the Dodgers make a deep run with this starting rotation, they’ll need every inning they can get).

But there are still serious risks to consider. And if Ohtani isn’t up for it himself — he said he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle it physically — I imagine it will be a non-starter.

Q. It seems that even if every starter performs their best, the bullpen is going to be severely taxed this postseason. The fear is they will have to give a postseason game away to preserve their bullpen arms. Is that a realistic fear?

Harris: I don’t think the Dodgers will be “giving away” playoff games, as we sometimes see happen in the regular season. But an over-reliance on the bullpen would indeed create problems.

The more relievers have to pitch in a series, the more likely they are to wear down. Also, especially in a best-of-seven format, it gives opponents the ability to see them multiple times and makes adjustments.

Q. I got a lot of questions about Tyler Glasnow and how he just up and vanished between games in the Atlanta series. People took that as a sign he was unhappy with the team. Your thoughts?

Harris: To me, this was a story that got blown out of proportion on social media. Here’s what happened:

On Saturday, Roberts announced before the game that Glasnow would likely miss the rest of the season. After the game, Glasnow declined to talk to reporters (as he walked out of the clubhouse, he said he’d be right back, but never returned). The next day, his locker was cleaned out, a sign he was no longer with the team on the trip. So, Roberts was asked where he went.

The manager then gave this quote: “I know he flew out. I don’t know where he flew to. But he’s not with the team, no.”

I see why people might have read into that, but as someone who was sitting in on this scrum, there was no indication Roberts was upset with Glasnow, or that Glasnow was upset with the team.

Players who suffer serious injuries often step away from the team for some period of time — something Roberts expounded on the following day:

“Obviously he’s very disappointed and frustrated,” Roberts said. “I supported the fact that he needed to be away and that’s OK.”

Plus, Roberts clarified that Glasnow’s absence was “certainly excused,” and that he deflected in his answer the day prior because “I just don’t feel it needed to be public information where he’s going.”

Glasnow is expected to be back around the team during the upcoming homestand.

Q. Do the Dodgers secretly wish they had held on to James Paxton or Ryan Yarbrough?

Harris: I don’t think Yarbrough would have changed the equation much. I’m not even sure he would have been a lock for the postseason roster, given his ERA was starting to get near to 4.00 and he had a career-high walk rate.

Paxton, meanwhile, got hurt shortly after he was traded to the Red Sox, out since Aug. 11 with a calf strain.

There are several pitching-related moves I’m sure the Dodgers are regretting right now, but these probably aren’t among them.

Q. Is Dave Roberts’ job in jeopardy if the Dodgers don’t reach the World Series?

Harris: Not necessarily. If this team doesn’t win the pennant, it will almost certainly be because of the injuries to their pitching staff, a problem he as manager has little control over. I’d be very surprised if Roberts is outright fired for an early elimination.

Where things could get complicated, however, is in potential negotiations over a contract extension; talks that will likely take place this offseason ahead of Roberts’ final year under contract.

If the team flames out early again, it could put a strain on those discussions. But, again, it’s hard to say how all of that will play out.

The postseason race

A look at how the teams stack up. The division winner plus the next three teams with the better record advance to the postseason:

Division leaders

1. Philadelphia, 91-62
2. Dodgers, 91-62
3. Milwaukee, 88-65

The Phillies hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Dodgers, while the Dodgers hold the advantage over the Brewers. Strangely, the Dodgers and Brewers have clinched a postseason spot, while the Phillies have not (but probably will today).

Wild-card standings

San Diego, 87-66
N.Y. Mets, 85-68
Arizona, 85-68
Atlanta, 83-70, 2 GB
Chicago, 78-75, 7 GB
St. Louis, 77-76, 8 GB

If the season ended today, the Dodgers and Phillies would get first-round byes. Milwaukee would host the Arizona in one best-of-three wild-card round, with the winner advancing to play the Dodgers in the best-of-five division series. San Diego would play host to the Mets, with the winner advancing to play the Phillies.

If the Dodgers slip out of the top two and have to play in the wild-card round, then their postseason will begin Tuesday, Oct. 1. If they remain in the top two, then their postseason begins Saturday, Oct. 5.

Results: Who is your favorite current Dodger?

We narrowed the list of favorite current Dodgers from 41 to 10 in the first round of voting. In the second round, we narrow it down to your top four. After 21,512 ballots:

Mookie Betts, named on 90.2% of ballots
Freddie Freeman, 72.9%
Shohei Ohtani, 66.2%
Clayton Kershaw, 54%

Others receiving votes:
Teoscar Hernández, 34.9%
Will Smith, 23.4%
Kiké Hernández, 19.2%
Miguel Rojas, 18.1%
Max Muncy, 14%
Gavin Lux, 7.2%

Now, to continue our quest to find the favorite current Dodgers, we reduce the ballot to the top two, and ask you to vote for one.

Click here to vote.

Random thoughts

—It feels weird that the Dodgers aren’t playing the Giants the last week of the season. In fact, they haven’t played them since July. It would be more exciting to have six games with the Giants in the last week and a half instead of six games with the Rockies. Baseball: marketing geniuses.

—Flaherty gets most of the notice, but Tommy Edman was a great trade deadline pickup.

—Since July 20, Chris Taylor is hitting .271/.340/.333 and former Dodger Jason Heyward is hitting .228/.273/.402. The problem for Taylor is he was in such a giant hole (hitting .108 at the end of May) that his batting average had no chance to recover.

—The Dodgers waited all of about five minutes before they sent out an email touting how you could buy Ohtani 50-50 merchandise. How about letting everyone enjoy the moment for a while before you cash in?

—Does anyone else get creeped out when the Dodgers are trying to rally for runs or stop a team from scoring and the “Forest Lawn” advertisement starts flashing around Dodger Stadium? Bad karma.

—Wouldn’t it be great to hear Vin Scully in the booth just one more time?