A milestone that disappeared past the "drug era" is revived by Ohtani after 23 years...The unanimous MVP is clearer
Sep 23, 2024
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Ruta is an indicator of how many bases a batter has advanced through batting. A home run is more valuable than a single, a triple over a double, and a triple over a triple. In baseball, where one run is scored only after one run (four-base hit) of a diamond, it is natural that a batter who has scored a lot of runs is drawing attention. Ruta is calculated as 'single hit ×1 + double hit ×2 + triple × 3 + home run × 4'.
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, who is running toward the finish line with fierce momentum, is challenging a historical record related to Ruta.
Ohtani became the hero of the 6-to-5 come-from-behind victory with four hits, one RBI, two runs and two steals in five at-bats against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on the 23rd (Korea time). Ohtani's hits are left-handed hits in the bottom of the first inning, right-handed hits in the third inning, right-handed hits in the seventh inning, and a tie solo home run in the ninth inning. He had a total of seven hits on the day.
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In the history of Major League Baseball, a total of 29 400 hits were born in a season. However, it should be noted that the most recent 400-base hit record came out 23 years ago in 2001. That year, four players, including Sammy Sosa (425), Luis Gonzalez (419), Barry Bonds (411), and Todd Helton (402), crossed the 400-base line at the same time. All of them are National League players. Jim Rice (406) is the most recent example in the American League in 1978.
Back in time, there were only eight 400 hits in a season in 64 years from 1960 to last year. From 1920 to 1959, when the live ball era opened, it was recorded 21 times in the previous 40 years, and it can be attributed to changes in the times, such as adjusting the mound height and the rebound coefficient of the official ball. In particular, 19 400 hits were recorded during the 20th decade of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a time dominated by powerful guns such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Fox, and Chuck Klein. During this period, the overall league batting average exceeded 270 percent for the 20th consecutive year. It was the heyday of hitters.
Since then, the league's batting average has never recovered to .27 percent until 1993 after falling to .267 in 1940. After 1960, it was the heyday of pitchers. In the 31 years from 1962 to 1992, the league's ERA ranged from 2 to 3 points each year, except in 1987 (4.28).
The year 2001 when 400 hits were concentrated was the peak of the so-called steroid era (1994-2004). In other words, the 400-base hit has become a rare species since the ban on performance-enhancing substances was established in 2005. In this regard, Ohtani's achievement of 400 hits adds historical significance.
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MLB.com mentioned for the ninth time 'Otani and Judge can reach 400 hits in an article titled '10 Things to Watch in the Final Week of the Regular Season' MLB.com added 'Otani's 400 hit is Tanon's idea. Judge also had a 400-base hit throughout the season, but as his home run has remained silent in the last 16 consecutive games, he will arithmetically end up with only 394 hits. '400 hits have been recorded only eight times since 1960 because it requires a combination of high batting average and unrivaled slugging power. Still, it is a record that cannot be guaranteed. If you fall into a slump even briefly during the 162-game period, the probability could drop significantly.'
If Ohtani, who has surpassed 50 home runs and 50 steals to 55-55, conquers the 400-base mark, there is no reason why none of the MVP voting groups should give him the top vote.
jhno@sportschosun.com
