WEBVTT - DBD CLASSICS: "This Is (Almost) 40-40"

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<v Speaker 1>Hello. If you like what you hear, please rate and

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<v Speaker 1>review the show however you can. I make this show

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<v Speaker 1>and provide it free of charge. This is what I

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<v Speaker 1>ask in exchange. Thank you for considering it, and thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for listening. It's time for Dodger Baseball!

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<v Speaker 2>It's time for Dodger Baseball!

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<v Speaker 1>Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri, August 17th, 2024.

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<v Speaker 2>To think of him as one of the elite base stealers,

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<v Speaker 2>I think some people who know of his work, that

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<v Speaker 2>wouldn't be the top trait they would think about, but

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<v Speaker 2>he's been so valuable there this year. Otani runs, throw

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<v Speaker 2>down to second base, and there is number 36 for

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<v Speaker 2>Shohei Otani in the stolen base category.

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<v Speaker 1>Later that same day.

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<v Speaker 2>Otani steals yet another base, his second of the ball game.

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<v Speaker 2>And it looks so casual for him.

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<v Speaker 1>And during the same game.

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<v Speaker 2>That ball's crushed to right field, way back there.

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<v Speaker 1>And he lights this one up.

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<v Speaker 2>Shohei Otani goes deep.

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<v Speaker 1>And then the next day... Otani, on a rope to right,

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<v Speaker 1>into the bullpen and gone. Oh! Deja vu for Shohei.

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<v Speaker 1>Believe it or not, Shohei Otani has been slumping of late.

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<v Speaker 1>And yet, with his unfathomable reserves of speed and power,

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<v Speaker 1>he is now on the precipice of making baseball history.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Dodger Blue Dream. I'm Richard Parks. Today's episode,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Almost 40-40. You know, every baseball fan loves numbers.

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<v Speaker 1>Let me tell you about a few of my favorites.

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<v Speaker 2>60.

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<v Speaker 1>Gotta love 60. That's the number of home runs Babe

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<v Speaker 1>Ruth hit during his historic 1927 season, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>best offensive seasons in baseball history. And the Babe swings.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a long run, a long one going.

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<v Speaker 2>Out toward right center. Sting was backing up against the wall.

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<v Speaker 1>He can't get it. It's in there. Another home run

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<v Speaker 1>for the Bambino. Bambino. 60 homers was more than any

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<v Speaker 1>other team in the american league hit that year and

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<v Speaker 1>by team i mean all players combined more than the

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<v Speaker 1>red sox entire roster 60 was a record that stood

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<v Speaker 1>for decades and it's still iconic 60 my next favorite

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<v Speaker 1>baseball number let's go one down from 60 to 59

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<v Speaker 1>59 That's the number of scoreless innings pitched in Oral

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<v Speaker 1>Hershiser's epic scoreless streak. A Los Angeles Dodger record for

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<v Speaker 1>the ages. Still unbroken to this day. Oral's streak down

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<v Speaker 1>the stretch in 1988 helped us win the division that year,

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<v Speaker 1>something nobody thought we could do in a year that

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<v Speaker 1>was so improbable, as Vin Scully put it.

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<v Speaker 2>Three and two to Tony Phillips.

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<v Speaker 1>And who could forget Bulldog notching the last out of

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<v Speaker 1>the World Series that year with a punch-out and getting

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<v Speaker 1>mobbed by his teammates with Vinny on the call. Got it.

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<v Speaker 2>They've done it. Like the 1969 Mets, it's the impossible

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<v Speaker 2>dream revisited.

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<v Speaker 1>One final number for you.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, two.

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<v Speaker 1>A number so nice, we say it twice. 40-40-40. 40

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<v Speaker 1>home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season

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<v Speaker 1>by a single player. Two numbers, one representing power, the

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<v Speaker 1>other speed, together, separated by a little hyphen. And a

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<v Speaker 1>combination so rare that when I was growing up a

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<v Speaker 1>baseball-obsessed kid, Only one person had ever achieved this in

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<v Speaker 1>the history of baseball.

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<v Speaker 2>He's leaning a little bit right now. He's running. There's

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<v Speaker 2>the throw.

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<v Speaker 1>Number 40, Jose.

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<v Speaker 2>Canseco, the first man ever in big league history.

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<v Speaker 1>Jose Canseco was the first to do it during his

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<v Speaker 1>1988 MVP season. And to this day, it's been done

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<v Speaker 1>just five times ever. You know, with those other numbers,

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<v Speaker 1>when the record's broken, the number changes. 60 turns to 61,

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<v Speaker 1>then 65, then 66, then 70, then 73. Who can

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<v Speaker 1>keep up? But the point is that the icon is revised.

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<v Speaker 1>It doesn't feel the same. But 4040 has the permanence

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<v Speaker 1>of a brick and mortar. 4040 is a club. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the 4040 Club. It's a very tough club to get into, ultra-exclusive.

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<v Speaker 1>Many have attempted to enter, only to be turned away

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<v Speaker 1>at the door by the bouncers known as the Baseball Gods.

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<v Speaker 1>Only the best of the best, during the best of

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<v Speaker 1>their best seasons, have ever gone beyond that velvet rope. Canseco. Bonds. A-Rod.

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<v Speaker 1>The list is short and highly distinguished. And once you leave,

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<v Speaker 1>it's no easier to get back in. There isn't a

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<v Speaker 1>single player who's gone 40-40 more than once. And no

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<v Speaker 1>Dodger has hit those numbers ever. But now, maybe sometime

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<v Speaker 1>this week, maybe even tonight... Shohei Otani is on the

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<v Speaker 1>verge of becoming the first Dodger in franchise history to

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<v Speaker 1>go 40-40, and just the sixth player all time. With

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<v Speaker 1>his two home runs and two stolen bases in the

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<v Speaker 1>Dodgers series against the Cardinals over the weekend in St. Louis,

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<v Speaker 1>Shohei is sitting at 39 home runs and 37 stolen

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<v Speaker 1>bases as I write these words. One home run, and

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<v Speaker 1>three stolen bases away. And he's stolen three bases in

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<v Speaker 1>a single game before. He just did it earlier this

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<v Speaker 1>month in Oakland. And he seems to hit one out

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<v Speaker 1>just about every day. So I want to slow down

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<v Speaker 1>for a moment and pause here and appreciate it as

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<v Speaker 1>it unfolds, because life is short and baseball history is

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<v Speaker 1>being made in front of our very eyes. while styles

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<v Speaker 1>of play have come and gone over the years throughout

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<v Speaker 1>the history of baseball one thing has remained fairly consistent

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<v Speaker 1>a player who hits a lot of home runs does

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<v Speaker 1>not steal a lot of bases the combination of speed

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<v Speaker 1>and power And the skill it takes to turn those

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<v Speaker 1>things into homers and steals is found only in the

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<v Speaker 1>very best players. There's this term, five-tool player. It means

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<v Speaker 1>a player who hits for average, hits for power, has speed,

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<v Speaker 1>can throw, and can field. Somebody who excels in all

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<v Speaker 1>of those areas is a baseball rarity. Barry Bonds was

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<v Speaker 1>one of those players. Ken Griffey Jr. was, too. And

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<v Speaker 1>the most famous and prominent five-tool player of all time

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<v Speaker 1>was probably the say-hey kid, Willie Mays.

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<v Speaker 2>Wurtzhammer's a terrific drive-watch center.

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<v Speaker 1>But there goes Willie.

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<v Speaker 2>He turns and makes a miraculous catch. Here's a pitch

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<v Speaker 2>to Willie.

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<v Speaker 1>Come on, it seems to left.

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<v Speaker 2>That one is way back. Way back!

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<v Speaker 1>Way back! That is the five-number six-hundred for Willie Mays

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<v Speaker 1>and the five-five made him an M. Mays, who passed

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<v Speaker 1>away earlier this year, is widely known as the most

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<v Speaker 1>complete baseball player ever. But even Willie Mays never went 40-40.

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<v Speaker 1>He did go 30-30, something only 47 players have ever done,

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<v Speaker 1>but never 40-40. And that illustrates just how rare an

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<v Speaker 1>achievement this is. And here he is!

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<v Speaker 2>Shohei Otani.

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<v Speaker 1>Most designated hitters are slow and plodding, but Shohei Otani

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<v Speaker 1>isn't most designated hitters.

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<v Speaker 2>Garbage to Otani again.

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<v Speaker 1>Reaches out, smacks it to short.

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<v Speaker 2>There's Kim.

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<v Speaker 1>There's Bogarts. And you see one of the tools that

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<v Speaker 1>is probably underappreciated.

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<v Speaker 2>Is given everything that he does, he got great speed.

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<v Speaker 1>He got great speed. He got great speed. Shohei already

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<v Speaker 1>holds the single season record for most stolen bases by

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<v Speaker 1>a DH. In 2021, 25 of Shohei's 26 total steals

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<v Speaker 1>came as a DH, and that was the most bases

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<v Speaker 1>Shohei had ever stolen in a season until 2024. This spring,

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<v Speaker 1>knowing he wouldn't be pitching, Shohei decided to redouble his

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<v Speaker 1>focus on his running game instead. And after stealing four

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<v Speaker 1>bases in the month of April, he's picking up the pace.

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<v Speaker 1>He stole 12 in the month of July.

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<v Speaker 2>Most players who have gotten this close to 40-40 usually

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<v Speaker 2>haven't done so until very late in the season. Shohei's

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<v Speaker 2>pace is unreal. He's basically gone 30-30 over the last

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<v Speaker 2>80 or so games.

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<v Speaker 1>That's like an entire historic season's production in just half

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<v Speaker 1>a season's games. And with more than 30 games left

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<v Speaker 1>to play, it's plausible that Shohei might become the first

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<v Speaker 1>player to ever get to 45-45. He might even get

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<v Speaker 1>to 50-50. If he does, it would be hard to

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<v Speaker 1>argue with the case for Shohei's becoming the first ever

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<v Speaker 1>designated hitter MVP. There's something sublime about watching this rare

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<v Speaker 1>talent unlock level after new level of mastery of the

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<v Speaker 1>game that I love. How does he do it? To

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<v Speaker 1>quote Sublime, who taught you those new tricks? Damn, I

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<v Speaker 1>shouldn't start that talk. And when will he go 40-40?

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<v Speaker 1>Will it be tonight? Tomorrow? To quote Sublime again, life

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<v Speaker 1>is one big question when you're staring at the clock.

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<v Speaker 1>And the answer is always waiting at the ballpark. 40-40

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<v Speaker 1>club to freedom. So I take that walk. And I know. Ooh.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not coming back. I'll see y'all down at Dodger Stadium.

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<v Speaker 2>Please rate and.

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<v Speaker 1>Review Dodger Blue Dream however you can or share it

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<v Speaker 1>with one friend today. Thanks for listening.