DENVER — The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched a division crown over the San Diego Padres, but Shohei Ohtani provides a reason to keep close tabs.
“I check the scores, but don’t check the box scores,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Now, I’m personally invested.”
As recently as nine days ago, Ohtani trailed San Diego’s Luis Arraez — the two-time reigning batting champion — by 33 points in batting average. Because of Ohtani’s other historic pursuits, the possibility of a batting title and a Triple Crown drifted into the background.
But 50-50 is done and dusted. Ohtani’s bat has caught fire. The latest in this dominant stretch: Ohtani went 4-for-5 with a solo home run (falling a triple shy of the cycle) and achieved another record in Friday night’s 11-4 romp over the Colorado Rockies.
“Shohei, man, he put on a show tonight,” Roberts said.
Ohtani is 24 for his past 35, a ludicrous clip that raised his batting average from .287 to .309.
“Makes it look easy, huh?” Chris Taylor quipped Friday night.
Ohtani is just five points behind Arraez, who went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .314 in San Diego’s 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It’s right there,” Roberts said. “He’s cognizant of it. … Anything that’s attainable, I think is on his radar.”
History is possible again, in what could be the year of the Triple Crown. Aaron Judge, needing to catch Bobby Witt Jr. in batting average, trails by seven points through Friday. On the pitching side, Atlanta’s Chris Sale leads all three Triple Crown categories in the National League (wins, strikeouts and ERA). Same goes for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the American League.
That’s four prolific seasons, with Ohtani having the chance to snap the longest drought. The last American League hitter to secure the Triple Crown was Miguel Cabera 12 seasons ago, when he hit .330, slugged 44 home runs and drove in 139 runs. Before that, no hitter had achieved the mark since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
The last full-season pitching Triple Crowns in each league came in 2011, when Justin Verlander and Ohtani’s current teammate Clayton Kershaw each outclassed everyone else. Verlander won 24 games that year, posting a 2.40 ERA while striking out 250 batters. Kershaw won 21 games in 2011, putting together a 2.28 ERA and striking out 248.
It’s been 87 years since Joe Medwick put together the last Triple Crown by a National League hitter. The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder hit a whopping .374 that year, driving in 154 and slugging 31 home runs in 156 games for the pre-integration era club
Compare that to Ohtani, who through Friday has: a .309 batting average, 54 home runs and has driven in 130 runs. For good measure, he’s swiped 57 bases.
The rare milestone remains feasible. Roberts said Friday that Ohtani would likely play all three games for the Dodgers this weekend despite the club already having clinched a division title. With three games at spacious Coors Field (which ranks first in batting average on balls in play among parks this season, at .329), he should have opportunities.
How much the Padres allow Arraez to build on or maintain his advantage remains to be seen. San Diego clinched the fourth seed in the National League postseason field on Friday, giving them little to play for with Arraez sitting at .314.
Should Arraez — who has missed time this season with a torn ligament in his left thumb — eschew a chance at 200 hits (he is at 199 after Friday) to rest and recover the final two games of the season, a window emerges for Ohtani.
If he gets four at-bats in each of the final two games, he could match .314 by going 6-for-8 and log the first 200-hit season of his career. Go 7-for-8, in theory, and Ohtani’s .316 average would be enough.
That it’s even a conversation makes a spectacular season all the more remarkable.
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
