Shohei Ohtani simply stored making historical past in 2024. With the founding of the 50-50 membership already in his rear-view mirror in late September, Ohtani added another little bit of amazement to his ledger by becoming a member of one other unique group: gamers with 400 whole bases in a season.
How uncommon is that? There have been 19 gamers in MLB historical past to achieve 400 whole bases in a season, and it is solely occurred 30 instances since 1900. Earlier than Ohtani joined the membership, it hadn’t occurred since 2001, when Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Todd Helton and Luis Gonzalez all reached the mark. Earlier than that, it hadn’t occurred since Jim Rice did it in 1978.
However in 2024, it wasn’t simply Ohtani — who joined the membership with a double within the eighth inning on Sept. 26 — within the 400 whole bases dialog. Aaron Decide, who flirted with one other 60-homer season, completed at 392 after wrapping up his marketing campaign with 58 lengthy balls.
To succeed in 400 whole bases, a participant wants an distinctive mixture of common and slugging. However even then, it is onerous to do. A droop of any significance can extinguish the hunt if not met with a equally sturdy sizzling streak on the opposite facet. Elite consistency is the important thing.
As uncommon baseball accomplishments go, it is a membership akin to the Good Sport membership (24 members) or the 4 Homers in a Sport membership (18 members). Like these golf equipment, the 400 Whole Bases membership requires a dominant efficiency from a participant. However in contrast to these different golf equipment, that efficiency shouldn’t be restricted to only one recreation, however unfold out over a whole season.
Here is a have a look at the gamers to achieve 400 whole bases in a season.
The emergence of many well-rounded hitters in the course of the first three a long time of the twenty first century would appear to create the perfect situation for the pursuit of 400 whole bases, but the equal abundance of hard-throwing pitchers with nasty breaking pitches has made the hunt fairly tough. Earlier than Ohtani, the closest anybody had come to 400 whole bases in a season was Albert Pujols, who had 394 in 2003.
Ohtani’s chase of 400 whole bases actually picked up in September. He ended August with 329 and was on tempo for 392. Then he actually caught fireplace. From Sept. 1 by the tip of the season, he hit .393 with an OPS of 1.225. Ohtani’s efficiency was punctuated by a 6-for-6 displaying in opposition to the Marlins on Sept. 19, when he clubbed three homers to go together with two doubles and a single. These 17 whole bases catapulted him into the MLB lead and super-charged the hunt for 400.
1997-2001 (5 gamers, seven whole seasons)
The offense-rich PED Period led to a mini-explosion of gamers to achieve 400 whole bases, highlighted by 4 entries in 2001 — essentially the most in a single season since 4 did it in 1930. A second spherical of growth within the ’90s additionally created pitching environments that had been conducive to larger ranges of offense.
Bonds reached the entire in 2001 virtually completely on the energy of his MLB-record 73 homers. The truth is, his different hit totals — 32 doubles, two triples and 49 singles — had been somewhat odd. However then, any hit for Bonds that season was spectacular, provided that no person needed to offer him something good to hit, which led to 177 walks.
Gonzalez fueled his gaudy base whole in 2001 with a career-high 57 homers that matched properly with 36 doubles, seven triples and 98 singles. Like Helton at Coors Discipline, Gonzalez benefited from a spacious ballpark in Arizona that gives loads of floor for extra-base hits.
Helton is an instance of a participant who seemingly reached 400 whole bases with as a lot assist from doubles as homers. Due to the hitter-friendly situations of Coors Discipline — each the altitude and the expansive outfield dimensions — Helton averaged 56 doubles from 2000-2001 to go together with a mean of 46 homers.
Sosa’s contribution to the 60-homer chase between him and Mark McGwire in the course of the Lengthy Gone Summer time of 1998 carried the majority of the load on his path to his first season of 400-plus whole bases. He completed with 66 lengthy balls, however had simply 20 different extra-base hits (all doubles) to go together with 112 singles. In 2001, he exceeded his whole bases from ’98 because of 64 homers, 34 doubles and 5 triples.
Walker tallied 400 whole bases on his strategy to the NL MVP Award. He hit .366 on the season with an NL-leading 49 homers and an MLB-leading 1.172 OPS. Together with all of the homers, he had 46 doubles, 4 triples and 109 singles.
Pitching dominated for many of the ’60s, a lot in order that MLB lowered the mound earlier than the 1969 season to even issues out for hitters. The best variety of bases anybody totaled throughout that decade was 382 by Willie Mays in 1962. Even Roger Maris throughout his historic 61-homer season in 1961 managed simply 366. However by the mid-to-late ’70s, the numbers started to climb once more.
Rice had a monster season in 1978, which led to a runaway AL MVP Award. The Boston star hit .315 with an MLB-best 46 homers and 139 RBIs that season, however he would not have reached 400 whole bases with out his MLB-leading 15 triples. All instructed, he led all gamers with 213 hits.
Warfare was maybe the most important motive why 400 whole bases was a scarce achievement for greater than twenty years. World Warfare II pulled among the recreation’s prime sluggers into service, most notably Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio of their primes, and the Korean Warfare did the identical, although to a lesser total impact.
Aaron had an MLB-best .355 common, 223 hits and 1.037 OPS in 1959. He clubbed 39 homers to go together with 46 doubles, seven triples and 131 singles. It was the eighth time he led his league in whole bases, however his solely time reaching 400.
Musial led all MLB hitters in hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18) and tied for the second-most homers (39). Naturally, his 429 whole bases had been tops in baseball.
1921-1937 (10 gamers, 19 whole season)
The Twenties and ’30s noticed an offensive explosion, as Babe Ruth modified the sport with an influence swing that helped usher in a brand new period of baseball. However there have been two different huge components that helped gas the excessive variety of gamers who reached 400 whole bases, regardless of enjoying a 154-game season. First, many ballparks had smaller dimensions, with some left- or right-field partitions being lower than 300 ft from dwelling plate. Second, it was pre-integration, which means hitters weren’t essentially dealing with essentially the most gifted pitchers.
DiMaggio’s solely time reaching or 400 or extra whole bases got here in his second season, when he hit .346, led baseball with 46 homers and had a 1.085 OPS. He additionally had 35 doubles and 15 triples.
Medwick’s bat dominated the NL in 1937 and blazed his path to an MVP Award. He led all NL hitters with a .374 common, a 1.056 OPS, 31 homers and 56 doubles, and his 237 total hits had been tops in MLB.
Lou Gehrig, Yankees, 1936 (403); 1934 (409); 1931 (410); 1930 (419); 1927 (447)
Like everybody else on this listing, Gehrig was an extra-base-hit machine. Throughout his 5 seasons with 400 or extra whole bases, he averaged 46 homers, 40 doubles and 13 triples. That’ll do it.
Trosky’s 405 whole bases led all hitters, although he did not lead the league in any extra-base hit class. Nonetheless, his 42 homers, 45 doubles, 9 triples and 120 singles had been greater than sufficient for him to hitch the 400 membership.
Foxx’s two seasons that gained him entry on this listing additionally earned him back-to-back AL MVP Awards. From 1932-1933, Foxx hit a mixed .360 and averaged 53 homers, 35 doubles, 9 triples and 208 total hits.
Chuck Klein, Phillies, 1932 (420); 1930 (445) and 1929 (405)
Although Klein had robust energy numbers throughout his two seasons reaching 400 whole bases — he hit 43 dingers in 1929, 40 in 1930 and 38 in 1932 — his journey to the mark was maybe carried much more by a mean of 51 doubles per season. His common of 10 triples did not damage, both.
Herman had 241 hits in 1930 and had robust extra-base numbers (35 homers, 48 doubles, 11 triples), however he did not lead the league in something aside from caught stealing (13).
1930 was an enormous 12 months for Wilson. He set the MLB report for many RBIs in a season (191) and likewise clubbed an MLB-best 56 homers, which pulled many of the weight to achieve 400 whole bases. However he additionally had 35 doubles, 9 triples and 111 singles, which performed robust supporting roles.
Hornsby is the one participant on this listing to achieve 400 or extra whole bases with a number of groups. And although he had loads of extra-base hits — he had a career-high 42 homers in 1922 — he is on this membership largely due to his capability to hit singles, which made up almost 60 % of his hits throughout these two seasons. The 148 he hit in 1922 are essentially the most singles in a single season for anybody on this listing.
Babe Ruth, Yankees, 1927 (417) and 1921 (457)
It is in all probability no shock that Ruth was the primary participant within the Fashionable Period to achieve 400 whole bases in a season. In spite of everything, he was out-homering whole groups early in his profession. However he solely reached the mark twice, with each coming in his two highest dwelling run years: 1921 (59 homers) and 1927 (60). In 1921, he even legged out 16 triples.
