Shohei Ohtani already had an incredible Thursday at loanDepot Park. He stole two bases, the first of which gave him 50 steals on the season. He hit two home runs, moving to 50-50 and breaking the franchise home run record.

The game was already decided and the Marlins had outfielder Vidal Bruján on the mound. Chris Taylor hit a single with two outs, allowing Ohtani to bat for the sixth time. The mood on the SportsNet LA broadcast was understandably ebullient as Ohtani capped off his incredible day with another home run.

“Oh my God, SHOHEI OHTANI, THE GREATEST DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY,” Joe Davis said on his call from home run number 51“This is not real life. He’s not human,” Davis later added with a laugh.

Ohtani’s day was incredible, mind-blowing and unbelievable. Let’s see what Ohtani did:

• He doubled in the first inning (off the wall in right field, almost a home run), stole third base (No. 50) and scored with a sacrifice fly
• He brought Gavin Lux home with a single in the second inning and then stole second base (No. 51).
• Ohtani struck out Lux and Andy Pages in the third inning and was thrown out while attempting a triple at third base.
• Ohtani hit a home run in the sixth inning (No. 49) to score
• He hit a home run in the seventh (No. 50) and again scored
• Ohtani hit a home run in the ninth (No. 51), scoring Max Muncy and Taylor

Ohtani scored 10 runs on Thursday, the most in a Dodgers game ever. James Loney (Sept. 28, 2006) and Gil Hodges (a four-home run game on Aug. 31, 1950) held the previous club record with nine RBI games.

Ohtani had five extra-base hits, setting the major league record. Only 15 people have accomplished that feat, including three Dodgers – Ohtani, Steve Garvey (three doubles, two home runs on August 28, 1977) and Shawn Green (four home runs, double on May 23, 2002).

Green and Ohtani are the only players with five extra-base hits to have six hits total. Six hits is the Dodgers’ franchise record, which has been reached 10 times.

I’m a big fan of unique boxscores, when someone’s combination of at-bats, runs, hits and RBI has never been matched by anyone else. Green’s 6 6 6 7 is unique in MLB history, as is Ohtani’s 6 4 6 10.

In 2011, I called Green’s game “the best offensive game in MLB history,” but Ohtani’s game on Thursday may have surpassed it.

For one thing, none of the other 14 games with five extra-base hits resulted in a stolen base, while Ohtani stole two on Thursday.

Ohtani had the First game with three home runs and two steals in MLB history and only the 20th game with at least two home runs and two steals. Mookie Betts was the last with a game with two home runs and two steals, back on August 23, 2020 for the Dodgers.

Ohtani had only the seventh game ever with at least 17 total bases. Three of those were for the Dodgers, with Green leading the way with 19 and Hodges with 17. The six others with at least 17 total bases were all a game with four home runs and at least one other hit. None of the other six also stole a base, let alone two.

Back to the 10 RBIs: Before Ohtani, there were 15 games with double-digit RBIs, but none of those players stole a base in their games with lots of RBIs. Ohtani stole two.

Or maybe this tweet from OptaSTATS makes it clear:

I think the Combination of everything gives Ohtani the edge when it comes to determining the greatest singles game of all time. His tremendous power and sudden baserunning ability were on display Thursday, and he put together things that no one has ever done before.

Ohtani now has 25 home runs and 25 steals on the road in 2024, in addition to his 26-26 at Dodger Stadium this season. No one else has ever had a 25-25 season at home or away in a season, and Ohtani has done both. And there are still nine games to play.

He has also hit 30 home runs and 35 stolen bases in his last 77 games, the only MLB player to do so in so few games. A literal 30-30 half season.

Ohtani accomplishing it all in his only game on Thursday was amazing in itself, but to do it in a game where he had 50 steals, 50 home runs and hit one more each, plus breaks Green’s franchise home run record Ohtani now has 13 games with at least one home run and one stolen base, matching Rickey Henderson’s record set in 1986. And he did it all in a game that clinched a playoff berth for the Dodgers, the first postseason of Ohtani’s MLB career.

That is an incredible amount of performance packed into a single game. He got a curtain call, in an away game.

“Unique player, unique season,” said Davis on his assessment of Ohtani’s 50th home run.

Also a unique game.