Ask A Genius 1113: On Ohtani, Mr. 53-53
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/09/28
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Now, onto Ohtani.
Rick Rosner: He’s the LA Dodger who just did something amazing. There’s a thing called the 40-40 club—only six players have hit 40 home runs and stolen 40 bases in a season. The best anyone had done was 42-42. This year, with six games to go, Ohtani hit 53 home runs and stole 53 bases. That’s a 25% increase over the previous record, which is insane.
Jacobsen: What’s his background?
Rosner: He’s from Japan. He’s a big guy, about 6’4”. People are calling him the greatest baseball player in history because he’s also a great pitcher. This year, he’s been a designated hitter (DH) while rehabbing from surgery, so he gets on base a lot without having to field. It’s a combination of being the best player ever and having to be a DH all season. The Dodgers, meanwhile, always seem to run out of pitchers by the end of the season. They’ve had the best record in baseball over the last 12 years, but by the time they make the playoffs, their pitchers are injured. They’ve only won one World Series in those 12 years.
Jacobsen: So they might need Ohtani as a pitcher, too?
Rosner: Yeah, they might. It’s crazy. People don’t pitch and play other parts of the game much anymore—that’s a throwback to the Babe Ruth era. It’s amazing to watch. The whole thing is built on this odd combination of stats—stealing bases and hitting home runs. It makes sense that someone would break the record by such a high percentage, but it’s still incredible to witness greatness in sports.
How much time do we have left?
Jacobsen: Two and a half minutes.
Rosner: I had a high-testosterone girlfriend in college who was angry and mean, but also delightful. We were bouncers in a bar together and fought a lot because she’d get mad if she thought some woman was looking at me. One time, I was talking to a couple of strippers who weren’t wearing underwear under their dresses, and she freaked out. It wasn’t like I was hitting on them—I was just being friendly. But we fought all the time, and it was miserable. The only thing that cheered me up was checking the newspaper in the morning to see how Wayne Gretzky had done. He was setting records all the time—212 points in one season, the all-time NHL record.
Jacobsen: Gretzky really did keep setting records.
Rosner: Today, I told my wife, “Ohtani joined the 53-53 club,” and she said, “You love numbers, like with Gretzky.” She’s right—I do love when athletes break records.
Jacobsen: The end.
Rick Rosner, American Comedy Writer, www.rickrosner.org
Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist, www.in-sightpublishing.com
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