LOS ANGELES -- As Shohei Ohtani has redefined what is possible in baseball, he's rewritten record books along the way, for the franchises he's played for and the Major Leagues at large.
He also continues to set himself apart as one of the greatest players from Japan to have played at this level of the game.
Ohtani passed Ichiro Suzuki for the longest on-base streak by a Japanese-born player when he reached in his 44th straight game in Friday night's 8-7 win over the Rangers -- which also marked his first bobblehead night of the season, commemorating his unreal two-way performance in Game 4 of last year's NL Championship Series.
During his time with the Dodgers, Ohtani has a history of big performances on his bobblehead nights. But he kept his streak going in more modest fashion, hitting a fifth-inning single off Kumar Rocker to get the job done.
"I thought he was going to hit a home run tonight," manager Dave Roberts said with a smile. "And I think he wanted a home run tonight on his bobblehead night, but it just wasn't to be."
Ohtani holds several other notable records among his countrymen who have played in the Majors. He was the first Japanese player to hit for the cycle with the Angels in 2019. In 2024, his first year with the Dodgers, he passed Hideki Matsui for the most career home runs (283 and counting) and Ichiro for the most stolen bases in a single season (59).
Ohtani's on-base record for Japanese-born Major Leaguers also happens to be the longest active streak in the Majors. Ohtani's streak is tied for the fifth longest by a Dodger in the Modern Era (since 1900), with a ways to go until Duke Snider's leading 58-gamer.
The last time Ohtani did not reach base in a regular-season game was Aug. 23 of last year. Since then, he's played at least a small role for the offense in every game that's followed.
Usually, what he does isn't so small at all.
Ohtani is off to a more modest start at the plate this season, going 13-for-49 (.265) with just four extra-base hits. He has been drawing plenty of walks, getting on base at a .406 clip through 13 games.
"It's great," Roberts said. "He's taking walks, getting hits and he hasn't really got going yet. For us to win the games we've won, score the runs we've scored … and Sho isn't going, he's going to get hot. That's a good thing for us."