Saturday, September 21

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani became the first-ever Major League Baseball player to join the 50-50 club on Thursday, slamming his 50th home run and stealing his 50th base in a game against the Miami Marlins.

Ohtani, a Japanese-American, has been in the MLB since 2018 when he first signed with the Los Angeles Angels, and has broken numerous records since then. After experiencing major success in the league during his time with the Angels, he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2023 season, which is the largest contract in global sports history. As one of the best players in MLB history with his unique two-way ability as a hitter and a pitcher, he has become a huge sporting icon for Japan, and his face is up everywhere across the country.

Then, on Thursday night, Ohtani reached yet another major milestone in his career, becoming the first-ever player in MLB history to join the 50-50 club. 50-50 is when a player hits 50 home runs and steals 50 bases in a single season, and no MLB player has ever achieved that feat-- until now. Ohtani surpassed the landmark statistic during the Dodgers' against the Miami Marlins, where they crushed their opponents 20-4. However, the milestones didn't stop there. Ohtani stole two bases and hit three home runs throughout the game, with a total of 10 runs batted in (RBI). He is only the 17th player in MLB history to hit 10 RBIs in a game, the most recent being Mark Reynolds in 2018 for the Washington Nationals. In addition, he is also the first-ever Dodgers player to hit 50 home runs in a season.

Fortunately for Japanese and Dodgers fans, Ohtani's career is far from over. The Japanese-American is only 30 years old, and his contract has just begun-- it extends until 2033, so Ohtani will be 39 years old by the time his contract with the Dodgers expires. This season is not over for the Dodgers yet, either-- after this win, the Dodgers have qualified for the postseason for the 12th straight year, and it begins on October 1. The Dodgers are currently 92-62 and have eight more games to play in the regular season.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Ultramarine blue was once such a rare color that the cost was often higher than the price of gold. It was made from grinding up lapis lazuli, a gem found mostly in Afghanistan. Due to its exceptional rarity, it was used very sparingly and was usually reserved for extremely special uses. Then, in the late 1820s, synthetic ultramarine began to be manufactured in France and Germany, replacing the expensive and labor-intensive process of mining, shipping and grinding up lapis lazuli.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Focus on improving yourself, not proving yourself. (Unknown)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Winnow (verb)- In general contexts, winnowing is about removing what is not wanted. One can winnow items, or one can winnow something that has items: you winnow less important or less desirable items by removing them from a group, list, etc.; and you winnow a list or group by removing the less important or less desirable items from it. In agricultural contexts, to winnow chaff (unwanted seed coverings and other debris) is to remove it from grain by throwing the grain up in the air and letting the wind blow the unwanted parts away.

In a Sentence: The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job candidates down to three finalists; many of them are highly qualified.