Shohei Ohtani might be producing the greatest baseball season of all-time, and if the claim sounds ridiculous or half-baked, perhaps take a look at his most recent jaw-dropping stat line.
The Los Angeles Angels' two-way sensation put on a show Wednesday night. Not only did Ohtani hit his MLB-leading 40th home run of the year, but he also pitched a career-high eight innings of one-ball with eight strikeouts, sealing a 3-1 road win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Sheer dominance.
"I think Ohtani could walk away today, not even play the month of September, and still be the MVP of the American League," longtime baseball columnist Scott Miller told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Thursday. "I don't see any competition for him right now -- that's even acknowledging that the Angels won't be in the playoffs. In baseball as we know, it's Most Valuable Player, not Player of the Year. So, that word 'valuable' is what gets debated every year.
"And a lot of MVP voters, and I've voted plenty myself, I usually lean toward your value to a team is partly if you help your team into the playoffs. So that, for me, is often times the separator. I don't think so this year. I don't care if the Angels don't make the playoffs. We're watching phenomenal things from Ohtani that we've never seen done in our lifetime. And I think the MVP is his, and his alone."
Ohtani, the clear frontrunner for MVP, became the fourth pitcher in AL history to throw at least eight innings and hit a homer in a game since the designated hitter was instituted back in 1973. He also became the first big leaguer to hit 40 homers in a season in which he pitched at least 15 games. The previous record was 29, set by legendary slugger Babe Ruth in 1919.
Through 116 games, Ohtani has a slashline of .269/.363./.648 with a league-high 70 extra-base hits, 265 total bases, and 87 RBI in 471 plate appearances. As for his numbers on the mound, the former AL Rookie of the Year now owns a 2.79 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 120 strikeouts in 100 innings (18 starts).
The entire MLB conversation between Miller and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.