Reports: Los Angeles Dodgers have just confirmed the……Read more

While Shohei Ohtani is still on pace for 53 steals for the season, he hasn’t stolen a base in either of Atlanta’s opening two games. In addition to being a necessary component of his possible 50-50 season, reaching 50 stolen bases would be an unprecedented feat in Dodgers franchise history, and that’s just in terms of baserunning.

Since 1900, there have been a total of twelve seasons with fifty steals for the Dodgers. There were thirteen such seasons for the Brooklyn squad from 1884 to 1899, however the game was significantly different then.

Maury Wills was the National League leader all four years that he had 50 steals (1960, 1962, and 1964–1965). For the Dodgers, Davey Lopes stole fifty bases in three consecutive seasons (1974–76). In 1974, Lopes had 59 steals, which was well behind Lou Brock’s record-setting 118 with St. Louis. However, in 1975 and 1976, Lopes was the National League leader in steals.

Seasons in which the Dodgers stole fifty bases were exceptional. With 67 steals in 1903, Jimmy Sheckard was the National League leader; in 2014, Dee Strange-Gordon was the league leader with 64 steals. Juan Pierre snatched sixty-four bases in 2007, Eric Young Sr. swiped fifty-one in 1999, and Steve Sax stole sixty-six in 1983, his second complete season.

Ohtani has now surpassed the lifetime totals of Pierre (18), Strange-Gordon (18), and Wills (20) in terms of home runs, surpassing the seven Dodgers who have stolen 50 bases in a season since 1900. If Ohtani has a great finish, he still has time to surpass Sax’s and Sheckard’s career home run totals of 54 and 56, respectively.

Ohtani’s prior best in stolen base totals was 26 in 2021 while playing for the Angels. Now that he doesn’t have to pitch every five or six days, he has more freedom to run than last year. Along with being efficient, he has only been caught attempting to steal four times and picked off once.

His focus is all on getting ready. The preparation with the game coaches, watching movies, and understanding pitchers’ patterns when at bat and on the bases—that’s what makes him so special, manager Dave Roberts noted last week. “He is quite exploitative.”

Also, if Ohtani reaches 50 thefts, he will have surpassed Roberts’ career mark. While playing with the Dodgers, Roberts stole 45 bases in 2002 and 40 in 2003. In 2006, while playing for the Padres, he set a career high with 49 thefts. In 2001, Ichiro Suzuki stole 51 bases, making him the only player born in Japan to ever do it in a Major League Baseball season.

“I think Shohei is going to surpass my record,” Roberts stated with a toothy grin. “I have complete faith in that.”