Shohei Ohtani steals 57th base, the most by a Japanese-born player

DENVER – Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th home run of the season Friday night against Colorado after previously stealing base No. 57 to pass Ichiro Suzuki for the most hit by a Japanese native player to achieve in a single season.

Ohtani finished the game 4-for-5, which also included two singles and a double, and scored four runs in the Dodgers' 11-4 victory. He now has 24 hits in his last 34 at-bats.

“Shohei, he put on a show,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Ohtani is making a serious push for a Triple Crown, leading the NL in home runs (54) and RBIs (130). He raised his average to .309 and trailed only Luis Arráez (.312 on Friday) in contention for the title.

Ohtani launched a massive three-run blast into the second deck at Coors Field in the sixth inning after being subbed in by Rockies reliever Anthony Molina. There was no doubt that the sellout crowd immediately erupted into a frenzy, an early show before the fireworks expected after the game.

“(Ohtani) hits the ball really hard because he swings hard and he’s a strong man,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s a truly incredible talent.”

His 408 total bases this season are the second most in franchise history. Babe Herman set the record of 416 in 1930.

The Dodgers are now 38-12 this season when Ohtani leaves the yard.

“He’s locked in,” teammate Chris Taylor said. “He’s definitely in crisis at the moment. He feels it. We’re all watching him continue to have a good year and he’s finishing it well.”

In the second inning, Ohtani – wearing spikes with a picture of his dog Decoy – secured second, surpassing Suzuki's mark he set with Seattle in 2001. Suzuki played for the Mariners, New York Yankees and Miami, then returned to Seattle briefly during a career that spanned parts of 19 seasons.

Ohtani successfully stole 34 bases in a row without being caught. It is the second-longest streak in franchise history, behind only Davey Lopes' 38 in 1975.

Ohtani has hit 57 of 61 stolen base attempts this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.