Dodgers' Ohtani Almost Certain to Clinch 2 Batting Titles

Denver, Colorado, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)--Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is almost certain to clinch two of this season's three major batting titles for the National League in the U.S. Major League Baseball while failing to win the triple crown.

In the 2024 regular season's final game for the Dodgers on Sunday, against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani went one-for-four. The Japanese baseball phenom hit 54 home runs and scored 130 runs batted in this season, and his final batting average came to .310. He stole 59 bases.

After Sunday's game, he said: "I wasn't thinking much about winning the triple crown. I didn't even know the gaps with players ahead of me. Instead, I concentrated on doing my best at the plate."

After becoming the first-ever player in MLB history to achieve 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single regular season Sept. 19, Ohtani continued to increase his home runs and steals.

The Dodgers won the National League West for the third straight year and will appear in the league's Division Series, which starts Saturday. Ohtani will play in the postseason series for the first time in his seven-year career in the MLB.

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