Shohei Ohtani usually sits at the end of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bench closest to home plate, far from first-base coach Clayton McCullough, who likes to lean on the railing on the other side. But Ohtani regularly walks the length of Dodger Stadium’s dugout, tablet in hand, pats McCullough on the back. “Look at this,” Ohtani says, then reveals his latest discovery – a new pattern that helps him recognize when an opposing pitcher might attempt a pickoff or begin his throw. A shift in weight. A tilt of his head. A twitch of his glove. Anything to create the slightest advantage for another stolen base.

These interactions happened countless times as Ohtani pushed toward 50 stolen bases this season, a milestone he reached when he stole third base in the first inning against the Miami Marlins on Thursday. For McCullough, they reflect Ohtani’s intuition and show how much he cares about the nuances of baserunning.

They also talk about what makes it unique.

Designated hitters are traditionally some of the slowest players on a team. And before Ohtani, no full-time DH had come anywhere close to 40 stolen bases, let alone 50. The previous leader was Paul Molitor, who had 31 stolen bases in 1992, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Ohtani, who five innings later became the first 50/50 player in baseball history, has unlocked another level of uniqueness by taking advantage of a situation reserved for those who hit exclusively. While his teammates are on defense, Ohtani is often planning his next steal.

“It’s no accident that he got here,” said McCullough, who runs the Dodgers’ baserunning program. “This guy puts in a lot of work.”

Ohtani entered this season with a career-high 26 stolen bases, set in 2021. He has a combined 31 stolen bases over the past two years. And yet Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Ohtani was “on a mission” to reach 40/40 and possibly even 50/50, starting in spring training when he regularly completed intense speed-training drills with strength coach Travis Smith. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to bear the burden of performing as a two-way player given elbow surgery that required a full season of rehab seemed to limit his focus.

“There’s nothing to save because you’re not pitching,” Roberts said. “So I think he’s been banking on offensive production this year.”

Ohtani set a new standard offensively in 2023, when he posted a .304/.412/.654 slash average with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs in 134 games – before another tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and a subsequent oblique strain prevented him from playing beyond Sept. 3. His slash average has dropped slightly this year, to .288/.372/.609. His home run rate, which has him on track for a career-high 51, has barely changed. But he’s stealing bases like never before.

What stands out to McCullough is not so much the quantity but the efficiency. Ohtani has converted 92.6% of his attempts to steal bases, nearly 25 percentage points higher than his 2021-2023 rate. Among the 133 seasons with 40-plus steals since 2000, only Ichiro Suzuki (95.7% in 2006), Jimmy Rollins (94% in 2008), Carlos Beltran (93.3% in 2004) and Jacoby Ellsbury (92.9% in 2013) have been more efficient. Ohtani has stolen 27 consecutive bases, most recently being caught stealing on July 22. McCullough remembered it vividly and blamed himself. Blake Snell, a left-hander, threw for Patrick Bailey, considered one of the game’s better pitchers, but McCullough wanted Ohtani to go to the limit early. It took a perfect throw and strike to get him just in time.

“When you have a lot of attempts to steal bases, there are going to be moments when people are going to challenge you,” McCullough said. “You have to deal with that. And I think once he settles in, gets here, gets off to a pretty good start and gets a few, then it’s like you trust what you see and it just keeps going. And I think his confidence has just grown.”

The Dodgers immediately gave Ohtani free rein to essentially steal whenever he wanted, but the rate didn’t start to increase until about midseason. Ohtani finished June with 16 stolen bases, then added 27 in July and August. Seven more followed in the first 17 games of September. The upward trend coincided with his move to the leadoff position, but also spanned a period when the Dodgers were missing key offensive players like Mookie Betts and Max Muncy for extended periods.

Ohtani could become the first full-time DH to win an MVP award if he can beat out New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. He is on pace to become the third player to rank at least second in the major leagues in both home runs and stolen bases in the same season – joining Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb, stars from over a century ago. Ohtani reached the 40/40 mark at least 21 games faster than anyone else and was the first player to even hit 43/43 before early September.

New rules that increased the size of the bases, introduced a pitch clock and limited pitcher disengagements starting in 2023 have undoubtedly created a more favorable environment for stolen bases. The league totaled 3,503 stolen bases in 2023, the highest number since 1987 and 1,017 more than the year before; the 2024 season has already produced the second-highest number since 2000. But only Elly De La Cruz (64) has stolen more bases than Ohtani this season, although there are far more who are faster. Ohtani’s average sprint speed (28.1 feet per second) is well above average, but it still ranks 154th among the 556 players with at least 10 opportunities.

“It’s more than just speed,” McCullough said. “He puts a lot of work into preparation.”

Before each series, McCullough scours video of opposing relievers and projected starters from the stretch position in hopes of spotting patterns his baserunners can exploit. Often, he finds that Ohtani has done his own studies and notices cues he didn’t. McCullough believes Ohtani’s experience as a pitcher has given him a big advantage in this area.

“He has a very good eye for things,” McCullough said. “And I also think he sees things in real time and then just takes action.”