This is how close Shohei Ohtani was to becoming MLB’s first NL triple-crown winner in 87 years

The Dodgers’ Japanese star continues to show that he is truly special. Even if he just missed the mark it’s clear that by even being close to hitting it, he’s a cut above the rest.

Shohei Ohtani is something else

For baseball fans, 2024 will likely go down in History as the ‘The Year of the Sho.’ That is of course, in reference to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani who just barely failed to add yet another accolade to the already long list of records that he’s set this season. Facing the Colorado Rockies on Sunday evening, Ohtani was just four points behind Luis Arraez’s National League-leading batting average of .314.

Having already won the home run title (54) and RBI title (130) by miles, just a few more hits on Sunday would have secured the two-way sensation the National League’s first Triple Crown in 87 years. Sadly, it was not meant to be as Ohtani went 1-for-4 at the plate and ultimately fell just short of bringing the Triple Crown into the 50-50 club. With that, the record set by Hall of Famer Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937 remains intact and the wait for a Triple Crown from the National League continues. If you didn’t know MLB has seen six Triple Crowns since Medwick made his mark, but all of them have been achieved in the American League.

Now, while Ohtani will perhaps feel aggrieved by falling short, it’s important to note just how crazy it is that he even got to this point. Just two weeks ago, the Dodgers star was hitting .287 which needless to say, was well behind Arraez’s average. What came next was a phenomenal streak by Ohtani during which he went 26-for-39 or if you prefer, .667 across the nine Games prior to Sunday’s contest. That included Saturday’s Game when Ohtani went 2-for-5, while Arraez did not play.

Ultimately, the task would have required Ohtani to go at least 3-for-4 during the contest with the Rockies with Arraez going 0-for-4. Unfortunately, the latter managed to get a single hit and Ohtani’s fate was sealed. To be clear, the last player to win a Triple Crown in MLB was future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera, who hit .330 with 44 home runs and 139 RBI for Tigers in 2012. With that, Ohtani brings the curtain down on a historic season and heads to the playoffs, while Arraez pulls off an incredible feat in his own right, by clinching his third consecutive batting title with his third team: The Minnesota Twins (2022), the Miami Marlins (2023), and the San Diego Padres (2024).