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09/20 02:18 CDT Japan celebrates as Ohtani becomes the first major leaguer to
reach 50-50 milestone
Japan celebrates as Ohtani becomes the first major leaguer to reach 50-50
milestone
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) --- Shohei Ohtani's feat of becoming the first major leaguer with at
least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season was met with extra editions
of newspapers for fans to read on their way to work on Friday morning in Japan.
Ohtani raced past the 50-50 milestone as he hit three homes and stole two bases
in a game during the 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday, securing a
playoff berth for the Dodgers.
The news topped morning headlines, and "Ohtani-san" was the No. 1 trending
topic of social media platform X.
There was also praise from the Japanese government.
"We would like to express our heartfelt congratulations on his achievement of
this giant record," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said as he
responded to the first question at his regular news conference Friday. "We look
forward to seeing more successes from Ohtani, who has already achieve numerous
feats and pioneered new grounds."
Ohtani, who debuted in Major League Baseball in 2018 with the Los Angeles
Angels, has become Japan's national icon and pride.
Yu Tachibana, a 44-year-old office worker, was a lucky one to get a copy of the
special newspaper edition for her 18-year-old son who plays baseball. She says
nobody had thought a Japanese player would so well a decade ago. "It is very
encouraging," she said, as she noted a saying where there is a will, there is a
way.
A wave of congratulatory messages were posted on social media.
"Japan's record-making machine has done it again," U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Rahm Emanuel said in his message on X. "Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on an
incredible baseball achievement. A true global ambassador of the game."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
