Locked in at the plate, Shohei Ohtani chases Triple Crown entering final weekend of regular season
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s locked in at the plate, on the bases, for the NL MVP and now even on the Triple Crown.
It’s been that kind of late-season surge for the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter who’s already invented the 50-50 club.
Ohtani went 4 for 5 — including his 54th homer of the season and 57th stolen base — in an 11-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night to keep in the running for the prestigious NL Triple Crown.
Ohtani’s torrid performance ensures he’s in the lineup for the final two games — just to see what can happen.
“I’m personally invested in the Triple Crown,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I know he’s cognizant of it.”
Heading into the weekend, Ohtani’s leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). He raised his average to .309 on Friday, trailing only San Diego’s Luis Arráez (.314) in the batting average race.
The last AL Triple Crown winner was Miguel Cabrera in 2012. In the NL, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Joe Medwick in 1937 was the last player to lead the league in all three categories.
“He’s locked in,” teammate Chris Taylor said of Ohtani.
Perhaps even beyond locked in for the NL West-champion Dodgers. Ohtani now has 24 hits over his last 34 at-bats, which includes six doubles, six homers, 20 RBIs and eight steals.
“He’s definitely in a zone right now,” added Taylor, whose team is 38-12 when Ohtani goes deep. “He’s feeling it. We’re all just watching him continue to have a good year and he’s finishing it strong.”
On Friday, wearing spikes featuring a picture of his dog, Decoy, Ohtani stole his 57th base to pass Ichiro Suzuki for the most in a single season by a Japanese-born player.
He’s now successfully swiped 34 straight bases, which is the second-longest streak in franchise history. He’s four away from matching Davey Lopes’ mark in 1975.
For the season, Ohtani is 57 of 61 on stolen-base attempts.
In addition, Ohtani is second in franchise history with 408 total bases. Babe Herman set the record of 416 in 1930.
“Being on the same field with that type of player, I think players sort of feel good about that,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of Ohtani’s presence. “He hits the ball really hard because he swings hard and he’s a strong man.”
On deck, carrying it over as he gets his first taste of the postseason. Ohtani won two AL MVP awards for the Los Angeles Angels but the team never earned a playoff spot.
He got an early feel for playoff pressure in a pivotal three-game series against San Diego, when the Dodgers took two of three to sew up their third straight NL West title. Ohtani had six hits and three doubles.
“Those were some of the biggest games he’s had in his career,” Taylor said. “This is a different environment for you and that intensity will bring out a new side of a player.”
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