The Miami Marlins, positioned 29th in MLB attendance, are expected to receive a crucial boost on Wednesday and Thursday as Los Angeles Dodgers ace Shohei Ohtani approaches the significant milestone of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
Merely weeks after achieving the 40/40 milestone at an unprecedented pace, Ohtani and the Dodgers will face off against the Marlins at LoanDepot Park for the final two games of a three-game series. The designated hitter comes into Wednesday’s game with 48 home runs and 48 steals.
While he didn’t swipe a base, Ohtani smashed his 48th homer on Tuesday night—a 402-foot home run to the upper deck of right field—during the third inning of an 11-9 defeat to the Marlins. Being second in all of MLB for home runs and stolen bases, the 29-year-old hitter has 11 remaining games to hit the 50/50 milestone.
The struggling Marlins witnessed a 37% rise in attendance for Tuesday night’s game, attracting a crowd of 17,902 to the ballpark.
Traditionally, when a visiting player accomplishes a milestone, the game pauses, with the home team and fans acknowledging the achievement. Sportico reached out to the Marlins for insight into their potential arrangements.
Across 76 home games, the Marlins have hosted 989,901 spectators at LoanDepot Park this season, averaging 13,025 per game. Only the Oakland A’s, who are slated to play in Sacramento next season prior to their planned move to Las Vegas, have struggled more at the turnstiles with 728,438 fans attending games this year (a mean of 9,843 per game).
Should Ohtani fall short of the 50/50 milestone in Miami, he will have the opportunity to achieve it in front of his hometown crowd in LA as the Dodgers embark on a six-game homestand.
Ohtani’s inaugural season in Dodger blue has been exceptionally eventful. The versatile star inked a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal last December, making it the most lucrative free-agent contract in MLB history. Nonetheless, Ohtani consented to an unparalleled level of salary deferrals—97% of ($680 million) deferred salary to be disbursed in installments of $68 million between 2034 and 2043 without interest.
The season almost encountered a major setback early in March when reports surfaced about his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly embezzling millions to settle his gambling debts. In July, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Despite the setbacks, Ohtani still accumulates $65 million in endorsement deals, surpassing any other player in the sport. In late August, he engaged in an exclusive global trading card partnership with Topps, the iconic card manufacturer now under Fanatics’ ownership, producing merchandise in the U.S and Japan. His sponsors also include New Balance and Rapsodo.
Image Source: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock
