If we didn't already know that Shohei Ohtani was the most unique player in baseball history, the 2024 season has proved that beyond all doubt. And he didn't have to throw a pitch to do it.
Ohtani became the sixth member of the 40/40 club Friday, hammering both his 40th dinger and swiping his 40th bag in the same game at Dodger Stadium against the Rays. That dry description hardly does justice to the moment. Ohtani beat the Tampa Bay Rays with a first-pitch, game-ending grand slam, his 40th homer, after stealing his 40th base earlier in the game. It was the first game-ending blast of his nonpareil career.
That Ohtani made yet more baseball history with so much flair is hardly a surprise. What's the bigger surprise is how quickly Ohtani got there -- 126 games, 21 faster than any of the existing quintet already in the club.
Here's the thing about power-speed measurements: They're a relatively new thing, given the long scope of baseball history. No one used to get that worked about it. Back when Bobby Bonds just missed a 40/40 season for the Giants, finishing with 39 homers and 43 steals, the quest was noted a couple of times in The Sporting News, and Bonds was quoted once as saying he'd like to do it but didn't think he would. There was no big deal made about the pursuit, no tracker, no special mention of each blast or swipe.
By the time Canseco became the first 40/40 player in 1988, things had changed; it was a much-lauded feat in the moment. Even with the group now growing to six, the feat remains remarkable and rare. It's not just because of the numbers but what they represent: Power and speed. We just haven't seen all that many players who combined both at an elite level and those who did (Mays, Mantle, both Bonds, A-Rod, etc.) rank among the game's all-time greats.
This year, Ohtani is on pace for 50 homers and 50 steals, which would be an outrageous feat never before done -- and really never approached. Acuna, who rolled up 41 homers and 73 steals last season, is the only player to top 50 in either category while topping 40 in one of them. (And remember, Ohtani also finished fourth in AL Cy Young balloting just two seasons ago and is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Not a bad recovery season.)