There's no stopping the endless train of historical feats achieved by Shohei Ohtani. That was certainly true in the 18-inning Dodgers win in Game 3 of the World Series.
He was intentionally walked a record four times, plus garnered a record four extra base hits in one game. Altogether, Ohtani went 5-for-5 with four hits, two home runs, three runs scored, three RBIs, and five walks.
Meanwhile, he is slated to pitch Game 4 and put the Dodgers in command to win their second consecutive title. In the process, Ohtani managed to surprise former MLB player Kenny Lofton, who didn't know that Ohtani had surpassed one of his records, per Ben Verlander of the Flippin' Bats Podcast.
He was asked who held the record for the most times reaching base in a playoff game.
“Kenny. Who held the record?” Verlander asked. “Barry (Bonds)?” Lofton responded. “No. You.” Verlander stated.
“WHAT?! REALLY?!” Lofton shouted. “SHOHEI YOU BROKE MY RECORD”.
In 1995, Lofton got on base six times in Game 3 of the World Series. At the time, he was the CF for the then-Cleveland Indians as they took on the Atlanta Braves.
Additionally, Lofton had five stolen bases and hit a walk-off home run in the 13th inning. Eventually, the Braves defeated Cleveland in six games. In 1942, Stan Hack of the Chicago Cubs got on base nine times in a regular-season game that went 18 innings.
What more history awaits Shohei Ohtani?
Ohtani has already achieved legendary status. He's the only player in MLB history to win three MVP Awards unanimously (2021, 2023, 2024). Also, Ohtani is an odds-on favorite to win a fourth this season.
At this point, he is very much on pace to equal or surpass Barry Bonds, who has seven MVPs. Plus, Ohtani has 280 home runs thus far. If he keeps it up, he could become the Japanese-born player with the most home runs in MLB history.
Furthermore, Ohtani is well on pace to notch 100 wins and 1,000 strikeouts, cementing his status as a legendary dual player.
