How Shohei Ohtani stacks up against MLB's stolen base records
Shohei Ohtani has already made history at the plate and on the mound. Now, he's trying to set a record on the basepaths.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way sensation is on the verge of a historic 50-50 season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. Only five other players made up the 40-40 club before Ohtani joined the group in late August.
Ohtani has long been a power-hitting threat, but he has truly taken off as a baserunner in 2024. He has left his previous career high of 26 stolen bases in the dust and is now among MLB's most stealthy runners once he gets on.
While Ohtani is on the verge of history with his combined hitting and baserunning prowess, he is still well behind the all-time record for stolen bases in a season.
Here's a look at how Ohtani stacks up against the best base-stealing seasons in MLB history.
Most stolen bases in an MLB seasonThe all-time record for stolen bases in a season belongs to Hugh Nicol, who picked up 138 in 1887.
As for the modern era, Rickey Henderson is king of the basepaths. The "Man of Steal" stole 130 bases in 1982 with the Oakland A's , demolishing the previous record of 118 set by Lou Brock in 1974.
Here is a look at the players with the most single-season stolen bases in MLB's modern era (post-1900):
T-10. Ty Cobb, 1915: 96
T-10. Omar Moreno, 1980: 96
Most stolen bases in MLB historyHenderson ran away with MLB's stolen base crown, and no one will catch him anytime soon.
Henderson's 1,406 stolen bases are nearly 500 more than second-place Brock.
Here is where Henderson and Brock stack up against the top 10 stolen base leaders in MLB's modern era.
As of Sept. 18, Ohtani's 135 career stolen bases put him in a tie for 641st all-time in MLB history.
