The Two Most Impactful Individual Offensive Performances of 2024
The most memorable individual offensive performance of the 2024 MLB season was MVP Shohei Ohtani's game against the Miami Marlins on September 19. Going into the game, Ohtani's only blemish on the season was his .221 batting average with runners in scoring position. Additionally, he had just three (!!) home runs in 131 at-bats in those situations. Against the Marlins, he had five hits in five at-bats (including three home runs and a double) with a runner on second and/or third base. Those five hits produced ten (!!) RBIs. Ohtani's RISP batting average went from .221 to .250 (an incredible jump so late in the season) and his RISP slugging percentage increased from .351 to .449.
In the game, Ohtani had just one plate appearance (out of six) that came without a runner in scoring position. He led off the game with a double and then stole third base for his fiftieth stolen base of the season. (He stole his fifty-first base the next inning.) So, Ohtani went 6 for 6 (including three home runs and two doubles) with two stolen bases. The seventeen total bases were tied for the fourth most all-time in an MLB game. Some baseball analysts opined that Ohtani's game was the best individual performance ever by an MLB player.
I would argue that Oakland Athletics' catcher Shea Langeliers' 3-homer game against the Texas Rangers earlier that season was more impactful. The A's beat the Rangers 4-3 behind those three home runs. Langeliers drove in 100% of the Athletics' runs and scored 75% of their runs with the three dingers. His first two homers were game-tying ones and his ninth-inning home run was a lead-changing, game-winning one. The final home run was hit off the closer (not a position player). On the other hand, Ohtani's final four hits (including the three home runs) all came with the Dodgers up by at least four runs.