Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 Chase an Attendance Boon for Lowly Marlins
The Miami Marlins, who are 29th in MLB attendance, figure to receive a needed boost Wednesday and Thursday as Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani closes in on the historic 50-home run, 50-stolen base milestone.
Just weeks after becoming the fastest player to reach the 40/40 mark, Ohtani and the Dodgers play the Marlins at LoanDepot Park in the final two games of a three-game series with the DH entering Wednesday’s game with 48 home runs and 48 steals.
Though he didn’t steal a base, Ohtani did belt his 48th homer Tuesday night—a 402-foot blast to the right field upper deck—in the third inning of a 11-9 loss to the Marlins. Second in all of MLB in home runs and stolen bases, the 29-year-old designated hitter has 11 games remaining to reach the 50/50 mark.
The struggling Marlins had a 37% uptick in spectators for Tuesday night’s game, with 17,902 people coming to the ballpark.
Historically, when a visiting player reaches a milestone, the game comes to a pause, with the home team and crowd showing acknowledgment of the feat. Sportico reached out to the Marlins for comment on their potential plans.
Through 76 home games, the Marlins have drawn 989,901 fans to LoanDepot Park this season, an average of 13,025 per game. Only the Oakland A’s, who will play in Sacramento next season before their long-planned relocation to Las Vegas, have fared worse at the gate with 728,438 fans coming to the ballpark this year (averaging 9,843 per game).
If Ohtani doesn’t reach the 50/50 feat in Miami, he’ll have a chance to do it in front of his home crowd in LA as the Dodgers return for a six-game home stand.
Ohtani’s first year in Dodger blue could not have been more eventful. The two-way star signed a 10-year, $700 million deal last December, the richest free agent contract in MLB history. However, Ohtani agreed to an unprecedented amount of salary deferrals—97% of ($680 million) it is in deferred salary—that will be paid out in installments of $68 million between 2034 and 2043 without interest.
However, the season almost derailed as quickly as it began in March when news broke that his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was alleged to have stolen millions from his client to pay off his gambling debts. In July, Mizuhara pled guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return.
Ohtani still brings in $65 million of endorsement income, however, earning more than anyone else in the game. In late August, he signed an exclusive global trading card deal with Topps, the legacy card maker now owned by Fanatics, that will create products in the U.S and his native Japan. He also counts New Balance and Rapsodo among brands he sponsors.
