Shohei Ohtani became the first major leaguer to eclipse 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season during the most spectacular game of the Los Angeles Dodgers star's history-making career, hitting three home runs and stealing two bases Thursday against the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani hit his 49th home run in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh inning, and his 51st in the ninth inning. He finished 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first major leaguer to hit three home runs and steal two bases in a game.
The Japanese star reached the second deck in right center with two of his three home runs at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider off George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th.
Ohtani hit his 50th home run in the seventh inning, a two-out blast to left field against Marlins substitute Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth inning, his 51st shot 440 feet to right-center, a three-out blast against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to throw with the game still out of control.
SHOHEI OHTANI HAS DONE IT
50 HOME RUNS | 50 STOLEN BASES
HISTORY pic.twitter.com/GRVJUCbpja
—@MLB
Ohtani addressed the stolen bases early in the game, stealing his 50th base in the first inning and his 51st base in the second inning.
The Japanese star led off the game with a double against Edward Cabrera and took third on a double-scoring steal with Freddie Freeman, who reached base on a walk.
Ohtani has been successful on his last 28 stolen base attempts.
Historic season
He reached the 50-50 milestone in his 150th game. Ohtani is already the sixth player in major league history and the fastest player to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season, taking just 126 games.
Ohtani's previous high in home runs was 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, when he also made 23 starts on the mound and won his first of two American League MVP awards.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December. The two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has played exclusively as a designated hitter this season as he rehabilitates from surgery a year ago for injured elbow ligaments.
Preparation was key for Ohtani in becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He regularly met with the team's hitting coach and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies toward hitters and baserunners.
“I see all the hard work he puts in,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said recently. “He doesn't play out there and it's too easy for him. He works harder than anybody. He looks up to players really hard. He plays a different game, so it's fun to watch.”
Mission 50-50
Ohtani seems to have hit the 50-50 mark on his mission. He has increased the frequency of his stealing attempts and in turn his success rate has increased.
But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.
Ohtani's teammates loved watching him hit home runs and run around the bases.
“I honestly try to learn from him by watching the way he goes about his day-to-day activities. He's very consistent, he's got the same attitude,” outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. “I think that's why he's such a good player.”
Third-stringer Max Muncy added, “Every night I feel like he's doing something we've never seen.”
What's Ohtani's next plan?
The Dodgers will head to the postseason in October, which would be Ohtani's first. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.
Another potential first is winning the National League MVP award as a designated hitter. No player who spent most of his time as a DH — without pitching — has ever won the MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz finished at the top of the voting.
This will be Ohtani's third career MVP award.