Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani made baseball history Friday night, surpassing Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki’s record for the longest consecutive on-base streak by a player born in Japan.
Ohtani accomplished the feat by recording a base hit in the fifth inning against Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker, marking his 44th consecutive game reaching base safely. The streak spans across two seasons, beginning on August 24 and continuing through the final 31 contests of the previous campaign, plus all 13 games he has appeared in this year.
The previous benchmark was set by Suzuki during his time with the Seattle Mariners in 2009, when he safely reached base in 43 straight games. Ohtani has previously expressed his admiration for Suzuki during his youth in Japan.
This marks the second time Ohtani has eclipsed a record previously held by the legendary Suzuki. During the 2024 season, Ohtani swiped 59 bases, surpassing Suzuki’s mark of 56 stolen bases set in 2001 for most steals in a single season by a Japanese-born player.
