In September 2024, Shohei Ohtani earned his fifth Player of the Month award.

His performance during that stretch was nothing short of extraordinary.

He posted a .393 batting average, along with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases—leading all of Major League Baseball in each category.

Most notably, on September 19, he delivered a historic performance:

6 hits in 6 at-bats, 10 RBIs, 3 home runs, and 2 stolen bases—achieving the first-ever “50–50” season in MLB history.

During this period, the Los Angeles Dodgers were under intense pressure from the San Diego Padres, with their division lead even disappearing at one point.

However, powered by what could only be described as Ohtani’s “unstoppable dominance,” the Dodgers secured the division title and carried that momentum all the way to a World Series championship.

Ohtani had previously won the league MVP twice, in 2021 and 2023.

Yet during those seasons, his team failed to reach the playoffs, and his performance in September tended to decline.

At the time, when asked about it, he said:

“Overall, it was a good season, but I’m not satisfied that it ends here.

Ideally, this should be where things really begin.

That’s what I’m aiming for.”

True to his words, after joining the Dodgers and competing in a pennant race, Ohtani’s performance during this critical period was on an entirely different level compared to his time with the Angels.

For Major League players, the playoffs and the World Series are something special.

And for Ohtani as well, September and October are the season when “the real game begins.”

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Following Shohei Ohtani: A Reporter’s 10-Year Chronicle, p.364