Shohei Ohtani steals 57th base, most by Japanese-born player

DENVER — Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th homer of the season Friday night against Colorado after earlier stealing base No. 57 to pass Ichiro Suzuki for the most in a single season by a Japanese-born player.

Ohtani finished 4-of-5, which also included a pair of singles and a double, and drove in four runs in the Dodgers’ 11-4 win. He now has 24 hits over his last 34 at-bats.

Ohtani is making a serious charge at a Triple Crown, leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). He raised his average to .309 to trail only Luis Arráez (.312 entering Friday) in the batting-title race.

Ohtani launched a towering three-run blast into the second deck at Coors Field in the sixth inning on a changeup from Rockies reliever Anthony Molina. It was a no-doubter at the crack of the bat, with the sellout crowd instantly erupting, an early show before the fireworks display that awaited after the game.

His 408 total bases this season are second-most in franchise history. Babe Herman set the record of 416 in 1930.

In the second inning, Ohtani — wearing spikes featuring a picture of his dog, Decoy — stole second to eclipse Suzuki’s mark set in 2001 with Seattle. Suzuki played for the Mariners, the New York Yankees, Miami and then briefly returned to Seattle over a career that spanned parts of 19 seasons.

Ohtani has successfully stolen 34 straight bases without getting caught. It’s the second-longest streak in franchise history, trailing only Davey Lopes’ 38 in 1975.

Ohtani is 57-of-61 on stolen-base attempts the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.