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Shohei Ohtani could be on his way to another record-setting accomplishment.

In his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after signing the largest contract in MLB history, Ohtani earned membership into the 40/40 club on Aug. 23 against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he stole a base in the bottom of the fourth and hit a walk-off grand slam.

Ohtani became the sixth MLB player to join the 40/40 club and the first since Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2023, when the Atlanta Braves star smashed his 40th home run in the final week of the regular season to go with 73 stolen bases.

Already the first player in MLB history to record 46 home runs and 46 stolen bases in a single season, Ohtani has now recorded a career-high 47 home runs.

With the MLB regular season ending on Sept. 29, we’re tracking Ohtani’s quest to become the first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.


Home run No. 47, Stolen base No. 48

In Ohtani’s first season with the the Dodgers, it hasn’t taken him long to join the franchise’s record books.

With his 47th home run of the season, Ohtani ties Cody Bellinger (2019) for the third-most home runs in a season in Dodgers history.

Ohtani’s home run was the first of four by the Dodgers in the opening inning, marking the first time in franchise history they achieved this feat. This is the 13th time in MLB history that a team has hit four home runs in the first inning, with the last occurrence being by the Cardinals against the Phillies in 2022.

In the following inning, Ohtani moved even closer to history by stealing a base. He has recorded a home run and a stolen base in 12 games this season, tied for the second most in a single season in MLB history, trailing only Rickey Henderson’s 13 games in 1986.


Stolen base No. 47

After a week without a stolen base, Ohtani got one on the board Monday night. He stole his 47th base in the bottom of the third inning.


Home run No. 46

Ohtani is inching toward the 50 home run mark and his 46th came in style. The home run reached 450-feet, marking Ohtani’s ninth homer this season that went that far and 22nd 450-feet one of his career. Ohtani’s 46th homer also ties the most of his career.


Home run No. 45

Ohtani reached the century mark for RBIs in 2024 in style.

His sixth-inning solo shot got the Dodgers on the scoreboard as they battle the Cleveland Guardians. Ohtani’s 100 RBIs this season are now tied with 2021 for his personal best in a single campaign.


Stolen bases Nos. 44, 45 and 46

Different month, same Shohei.

The Dodgers star stole his 44th base of the season in the fourth inning against the Diamondbacks. Three innings later he stole Nos. 45 and 46, marking the second time in his career he has stolen three bases in the same game. Ohtani has 25 games remaining to become the first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.


Home run No. 44

Ohtani found his groove in August.

The Dodgers star smashed a leadoff home run Saturday, a day after his 43rd homer. It marked his 12th homer in August, tied for third most in a month in his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information.


Home run No. 43 and stolen base No. 43

After stealing his 43rd base in the second inning, Ohtani launched homer No. 43 in the eighth to give the Dodgers a 10-5 lead.

A pitch in the dirt from Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen led to an easy stolen base for Ohtani, his 43rd being the second most in Major League Baseball behind Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz.


Home run No. 42 and stolen bases Nos. 41 and 42

On the bobblehead night dedicated to him and his dog, Decoy, Ohtani met the moment, smashing a long ball off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes in the first inning. The 391-foot homer came on the fifth pitch of the game. It marked Ohtani’s fourth leadoff home run this season and first at Dodger Stadium, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

He also stole two bases, giving him 10 games this season with a home run and a stolen base. No other player this season has more than six.


Home run No. 41

On a 2-1 count, Ohtani crushed a 92 mph pitch from Taj Bradley to right field to bring Miguel Rojas home and give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead over Tampa Bay.


Home run No. 40

With the game on the line, there’s arguably no one better to have at bat than Ohtani. With the bases loaded and two strikes against the 30-year-old in the bottom of the ninth, Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam to beat the Rays 7-3.

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Olney: Yankees must replace Gerrit Cole — but they’ll probably have to wait

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Olney: Yankees must replace Gerrit Cole -- but they'll probably have to wait

Gerrit Cole‘s season is over, now that he is headed for Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees will have to find a way to replicate the production of a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, someone who is likely to one day make a speech on induction day in Cooperstown.

But this is not a case of a team being blindsided by an injury. Past injuries are the most predictive indicators for future injuries, and after Cole missed nearly the first three months of last season with nerve inflammation in his right elbow, the Yankees knew the chances of losing him were heightened. Their handling of his contract situation last fall was a strong indicator of the uncertainty around Cole.

The pitcher and his agent, Scott Boras, opted out of the last four years of his contract, while asking that the Yankees exercise a $36 million option for the 2029 season, effectively adding a fifth year to his four-year, $144 million deal. Owner Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman declined to do so, firmly holding the line, and days later, Cole returned to the Yankees without any augmentation of his contract. While the Yankees hoped Cole’s elbow would remain functional, as Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow did following a diagnosis of a partially torn ligament in 2014, they weren’t willing to bet another $36 million on it.

But that doesn’t help them very much right now, when they have lost two starting pitchers to significant arm injuries: Before Cole went down, Luis Gil — the American League Rookie of the Year last season — suffered a lat strain this spring that will keep him sidelined for much of the 2025 season. Max Fried, signed to a $218 million contract over the winter to improve a good rotation, will now be the de facto ace, in front of right-handers Clarke Schmidt and left-hander Carlos Rodon. A month ago, there was a lot of speculation about whether Marcus Stroman would be traded, given his standing as the sixth starter behind a five-man rotation, and now Stroman is needed as the No. 4 starter.

Cashman’s habit is to be patient — to weigh internal solutions before diving into another free agent signing or trade. When Cole was sidelined last spring, the Yankees thought Will Warren might step into his spot in the rotation, and instead, Gil surprisingly emerged to fill in for Cole and was one of the league’s best starting pitchers in the first half.

This year, Warren is having a very good spring, having allowed just two hits and a run in eight innings of work, with two walks and 11 strikeouts. Warren, an eighth-round pick out of Southeast Louisiana in 2021, is the front-runner to move into the Yankees’ rotation.

Just as the Yankees continue to weigh market options for hitting help while Giancarlo Stanton is attempting to work his way back from elbow trouble, they will consider free agent possibilities such as veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson. The Yankees paid for insurance on Cole’s contract, and so they will recoup some portion of the salary they owe him; typically, that rate is about 75%. His contract still counts against their competitive balance tax total, but the insurance money will significantly offset the luxury tax they will have to pay for the addition of any replacement: The Yankees are taxed dollar for dollar, 100%, for any additional player salaries they take on. A new $5 million player costs the Yankees $10 million.

Eventually, their best alternatives, if needed, could be through the trade market, and maybe that turns out to be the Miami MarlinsSandy Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner who is back after an elbow reconstruction. Under the terms of a deal he signed with the Marlins early in his career, Alcantara is making $17.3 million this year and $17.3 million next season, and there is a $21 million option in his deal for 2027.

The Marlins are not expected to contend this year and have been in a cost-cutting mode since Peter Bendix took over the team’s baseball operations after the 2023 season. Last year, the Marlins demonstrated a willingness to deal very early in the season, when they swapped batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres in the first week of May.

But the price of a trade in April or May is usually set by the team dealing away a star, and the Yankees would have to pay a big price in prospects in the spring after a rough year for their farm system, which is generally regarded as thin by other teams and ranked No. 21 in Kiley McDaniel’s preseason system rankings. Additionally, the Yankees would presumably compete against other teams if and when the Marlins look to trade Alcantara, leaving them at the same disadvantage they faced when trying to pry Garrett Crochet away from the Chicago White Sox — before Chicago dealt him to the Boston Red Sox.

Over the course of the summer, Gil could return from the injured list, and other pitchers could emerge on the trade market as some teams drift out of contention. If the Toronto Blue Jays struggle in the first half, they could be a key source for all kinds of needs, including starting pitchers. Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer might all draw interest if Toronto ever looks to rebuild and, in the Yankees’ case, is willing to deal within the division.

One or more National League West teams could end up feeding the trade market. The Padres enter this season with high expectations after nearly knocking out the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer, but if San Diego drifts behind in the playoff race, it holds two of the best impending free agents, Dylan Cease and former Yankee Michael King. Similarly, the San Francisco Giants have veteran Robbie Ray, who is under contract for $25 million this year and next, and the Arizona DiamondbacksZac Gallen will become eligible for free agency in the fall.

Likewise, in the AL West, the Mariners have so far clung to their starting pitchers, like Luis Castillo, but that could change if Seattle sinks in the standings. The Astros demonstrated their willingness to be aggressive with players nearing free agency with their trade of outfielder Kyle Tucker, and if Houston hovers around .500, it could flip Framber Valdez into the market — with his years of postseason experience attractive to contenders.

The pitching market could be flush with options in a few months. And the Yankees might wait until then to make a move to cover for Cole’s absence.

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Yankees ace Cole will have Tommy John surgery

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Yankees ace Cole will have Tommy John surgery

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole will undergo Tommy John surgery, the team announced Monday, ending his 2025 season before it began and leaving the club staggering from another blow as it prepares to defend its American League pennant.

The decision to have the surgery, which will sideline Cole for the 2025 season and at least part of the 2026 season, was made after seeking a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday. Cole will undergo the procedure Tuesday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. In a statement, the club said that “further updates will occur post surgery.”

Cole started two games this spring, giving up seven runs across six innings. On Thursday, he gave up six runs on five hits, including two home runs, over 2⅔ innings to the Minnesota Twins. He said he felt an “alarming” amount of pain that night into Friday morning, prompting him to notify the team and undergo imaging tests, which revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Cole, 34, went through the same series of stressful events a year ago: Elbow pain in mid-March, tests and opinions from doctors. But the result was different. Cole was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema and, instead of surgery, he rested and rehabbed. He made his season debut on June 19 and pitched through the World Series without a setback.

In a statement he posted on Instagram later Monday, Cole said the surgery was a “necessary next step for my career,” adding that he has “a lot left to give, and I’m fully committed to the work ahead. I’ll attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. I love this game, I love competing, and I can’t wait to be back on the mound — stronger than ever.”

The ace logged 124 innings over 22 starts between the regular season and playoffs, tossing at least six innings in three of his five postseason outings. He then opted to alter his offseason throwing program by starting it earlier to continue his positive momentum. He said he was “in a really good spot” compared to other years at the start of camp.

But less than a month later, his season has been declared over.

Cole’s injury is the second major blow to the Yankees’ starting rotation this spring after Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, sustained a lat strain that was expected to sideline him for at least three months.

Without the two right-handers, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt will top the Yankees’ starting rotation. Marcus Stroman, who was notably not expected to make the Opening Day rotation, is projected to slide into the No. 4 spot with Will Warren, a rookie who made his debut last season, and Carlos Carrasco, a soon-to-be-38-year-old veteran in camp as a non-roster invite, as the leading internal candidates to round out the quintet.

Other options in camp include right-hander Allan Winans, who has eight career starts on his résumé, and left-hander Brent Headrick, a starter in the minors who has never started a game in the majors.

The Yankees could also opt to sign a free agent — veterans Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn are among those available — or swing a trade for an established starter.

Cole, a six-time All-Star, won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award and was the runner-up two other seasons. He has tallied at least 200 innings in six of his 10 full seasons (not including last year and the COVID-shortened 2020 season). He is as close to an old-school frontline workhorse in his prime that exists in baseball. It’s why the Yankees chose to sign Cole, a lifelong Yankees fan, to a nine-year, $324 million deal with a no-trade clause in December 2019 — the largest contract given to a pitcher at the time.

The agreement included a player opt-out after last season that the Yankees could’ve voided by attaching another year and $36 million to the four years and $144 million remaining on his contract. Cole exercised the opt out, but he never became a free agent and didn’t receive the extra year. Instead, the two sides agreed to continue as if Cole didn’t opt out two days later, keeping him under contract through the 2028 season at $36 million per year.

The Yankees have insurance on Cole’s contract, which will allow them to recoup some money for the time he’s out.

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Yamamoto gem, Ohtani laser 2B fuel Dodgers’ win

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Yamamoto gem, Ohtani laser 2B fuel Dodgers' win

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out seven over five impressive innings and Shohei Ohtani ripped a 118.5 mph double during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ penultimate game of the spring schedule on Monday.

Yamamoto threw 75 pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch. His fastball touched 97 mph and four of the seven strikeouts came on his splitter. The Japanese right-hander gave up one run on four hits in his final spring training start, walking one as the Dodgers went on to win 6-2.

Yamamoto is scheduled to start the Dodgers’ regular-season opener against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18. Ohtani is expected to be the designated hitter.

Ohtani’s third extra-base hit of the spring came in the first inning and the reigning National League MVP jogged into second base for the easy double. He grounded out in the second and struck out in the fourth.

Ohtani is 6 of 17 this spring (.353) with two doubles and a homer. The 30-year-old is trying to bounce back from offseason shoulder surgery.

Rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki is scheduled to start the final spring training game for the Dodgers on Tuesday. He’s expected to start the second Dodgers-Cubs game in Japan on March 19.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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