Shohei Ohtani on Friday hit a two-out grand slam in the ninth inning for his 40th home run of the MLB season after earlier stealing his 40th base, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ohtani became the fastest player in major-league history and sixth ever to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season. He is also the first Dodgers player to do so.
He broke the record held by Alfonso Soriano, who reached the mark in 148 games for the Washington Nationals in 2006. Ohtani did it in his 126th game and the Dodgers’ 129th of the season.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today
“He’s definitely known for the dramatics and this is something I’ll remember for a long time,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “What a way to cap off a great night.”
The Japanese superstar came out of the dugout to wave at 45,556 fans who gave him a standing ovation. His teammates showered Ohtani with water on the field.
Will Smith was hit by Manuel Rodriguez (2-3) leading off the ninth and Tommy Edman followed with a single. Smith and Edman moved up on Miguel Rojas’ sacrifice. Colin Poche came in and walked Muncy to set up Ohtani’s slam to center.
“He’s just dangerous any time he puts that uniform on,” Roberts said.
Center fielder Jose Siri gave chase and the home run ball bounced back onto the field. He threw it back into the stands, leaving Ohtani without the keepsake, Ohtani’s interpreter Will Ireton said.
Tied 3-3, the Rays had the go-ahead run on in the ninth. A ball hit by Jonny DeLuca hit off the heel of reliever Michael Kopech’s glove for an error. DeLuca was caught stealing before Siri struck out.
Meanwhile, Danny Jansen is to be the first major-leaguer to appear in a game for both teams when he plays catcher for the Boston Red Sox tomorrow in the resumption of a suspended game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“He’s catching. Let’s make history,” Boston manager Alex Cora said on Friday before the Red Sox dropped the opener of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2.
Jansen was about to bat for Toronto when the June 26 game against Boston was suspended in the second inning because of rain. It was rescheduled for tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.
“I don’t know if it’s set in for me. It’s definitely a cool thing. Definitely grateful,” Jansen said.
“Honestly, when I heard about it, I didn’t think I would be the first,” he added. “The game has been around for so long. It’s one of those oddities that happen in this sport. It’s extremely rare and cool.”
The Red Sox acquired the 29-year-old Jansen in a trade on July 27.
Reese McGuire was Boston’s catcher for the June 26 game. McGuire was assigned outright to Triple-A Worcester after the Red Sox traded for Jansen.
Elsewhere on Friday, it was:
Athletics 3, Brewers 11
Blue Jays 5, Angels 4
Braves 3, Nationals 2 (10i)
Guardians 3, Rangers 5
Mariners 6, Giants 5 (10i)
Marlins 3, Cubs 6
Orioles 7, Astros 5
Padres 7, Mets 0
Pirates 6, Reds 5
Twins 1, Cardinals 6
White Sox 2, Tigers 5
Yankees 3, Rockies 0
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS