It seems like there’s nothing Shohei Ohtani can’t do, especially on a baseball field.

Okay, we know he can’t throw this season, as he recovers from a 2023 elbow injury. But he can certainly hit, and this year he’s shown he can run like never before.

He’s won two unanimous MVP awards, and in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he added another accomplishment to an already stellar seven-year career. The two-way superstar became the sixth player in MLB history to join the prestigious 40-home run, 40-stolen-base club in the Dodgers’ 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. He accomplished the milestone in dramatic fashion, hitting a walk-off grand slam that traveled 414 feet to center field off the first pitch he saw from Rays reliever Colin Poche.

In an already legendary career, Friday’s performances and fireworks stood out.

“One of my most memorable moments and I hope I can create more memorable moments,” Ohtani told reporters in the clubhouse through an interpreter after a wild celebration on the court.

Ohtani joins Ronald Acuña Jr., Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco as the only players to accomplish the illustrious feat. Until Acuña’s 40-70 season en route to winning the 2023 NL MVP award, the 40-40 feat hadn’t been accomplished in 17 years.

In this elite group, no one has done it faster than Ohtani, who reached the air in 126 games. We still have one week left in August. (Soriano had the previous fastest 40-40 distinction with 147 games.)

“Honestly, very happy, but especially very happy that we were able to win today. I feel very honored to have been a part of this history,” Ohtani said shortly after being doused with water by his celebrating teammates at home plate.

His previous career high in stolen bases came in 2021, when he stole 26 bases with the Los Angeles Angels. He also hit a career-high 46 home runs that season, winning his first league MVP.

Ohtani hit the 40-stolen base mark in the bottom of the fourth inning after reaching on an infield single. He took second without a pitch from Rays catcher Rob Brantly.

In a season where he’s played exclusively as a designated hitter, Ohtani is making full use of speed as a weapon for the first time in his career, in addition to the towering power he’s shown since coming to MLB in 2018.

“He does his homework on the opposing team,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters of Ohtani’s improved baserunning.

The two-time Dodgers MVP is likely on track for his third MVP and would become the first MVP to win the award exclusively as a designated hitter. He would also become the second player in MLB history to win an MVP in both the American and National Leagues, joining Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who did so with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.

There was as much hype and anticipation for Ohtani this season as there has been for any player in baseball history after he signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason. But he’s done something that seemed impossible even to him. He’s exceeded those expectations. And he’s done it all while recovering from major elbow surgery and nearly returning to the mound.

“The main goal is to get to the postseason and win the World Series,” Ohtani said. “Whatever the outcome is with my record, that’s part of the process.”

He is unique and he continues to show the world why.