Shohei Ohtani delivered one of his best hitting performances of all time on Thursday – and made history again.
The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger hit his 49th, 50th and 51st home runs of the season against the Miami Marlins, becoming the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Ohtani also recorded his 50th and 51st stolen bases on Thursday, finishing the game 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs. He also became the first player in MLB history to record three home runs and two stolen bases in a game.
The historic hit came in the seventh inning against Miami’s Mike Baumann. It was Ohtani’s second home run and fifth hit of the day, breaking Shawn Green’s Dodgers franchise record for home runs in a season. Ohtani’s 10 RBIs on Thursday also set a new franchise record.
RELATED: How Shohei Ohtani, without half his strength, rewrote MLB history and reached 50/50
Ohtani preceded that milestone home run with a two-run at-bat to right field in the sixth inning, and he followed that up with a 440-foot three-run home run to right field in the ninth inning, his third at-bat in the Dodgers’ 20-4 victory.
Since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, no player has had games in which he had 10 RBIs, six hits, five extra-base hits, three home runs and two stolen bases over the course of his career. Ohtani did all of that on Thursday. He became the seventh player to record 17 total bases in a game and the first to do so without hitting four home runs.
Ohtani’s 50/50 milestone is the culmination of his remarkable first season with the Dodgers, who signed the two-way superstar to a record 10-year, $700 million contract last offseason.
The 30-year-old was voted an All-Star for the fourth time this summer and is the clear favorite to win the National League MVP title. With his 50 home runs, he also leads the NL and is behind Aaron Judge, who has the most in baseball. With 51 stolen bases, he has the second most in the league, only Elly De La Cruz is better.
With his outstanding play at the plate and as a baserunner, Ohtani is currently a clear favorite to win the third MVP award of his illustrious career. During his six-year tenure with the Los Angeles Angels, he won the AL MVP twice, including in 2023. Unlike his two MVP seasons, Ohtani did not pitch in the 2024 regular season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL in his throwing elbow in September 2023.
If Ohtani is named NL MVP, he will follow in the footsteps of Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Ohtani’s 50/50 season also followed Acuna’s historic 2023 season in which he hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases. In August, Ohtani joined Acuna as one of six players to ever achieve a 40/40 season when he hit a walk-off grand slam for his 40th home run of the year against the Tampa Bay Rays. He became the fastest player to reach a 40/40 season by 21 games by hitting his 40th home run in the 126th game of the season. From there, the countdown to 50/50 began.
Shohei Ohtani becomes MLB’s first 50/50 player
To put Ohtani’s 50/50 performance into perspective, here are the season-to-date highs for stolen home runs among players who have hit 50 home runs.
T-1. Alex Rodriguez (2007) – 54 HRs, 24 SBs
T-1. Willie Mays (1955) – 51 HRs, 24 SBs
3. Brady Anderson (1996) – 50 home runs, 21 SBs
4. Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) – 56 home runs, 20 SBs
T-5. Sammy Sosa (1998) – 66 HRs, 18 SBs
T-5. Alex Rodriguez (2001) – 52 HRs, 18 SBs
In addition, the players with the most home runs in a season who stole 50 bases are listed here.
1. Ronald Acuna (2023) – 73 SBs, 41 HRs
2. Eric Davis (1987) – 50 SBs, 37 HRs
3. Barry Bonds (1990) – 52 SBs, 33 HRs
4. Hanley Ramirez (2007) – 51 SBs, 29 HRs
T-5. Rickey Henderson (1986) – 87 SBs, 28 HRs
T-5. Rickey Henderson (1990) – 65 SBs, 28 HRs
For the first time in Ohtani’s MLB career, his season does not end with the conclusion of the regular season. The Dodgers clinched a playoff spot with Thursday’s win, setting the stage for Ohtani to finally compete in the postseason.
The Dodgers have also opened up the possibility of him pitching in the postseason. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters in early September that the chance Ohtani will be on the mound was “very slim,” but noted that it was “not zero.”
Ohtani also seemed to have left the door open.
“I’m not sure,” Ohtani he told reporters earlier this week with a grin through an interpreter.
Regardless of what happens in October, Ohtani can boast another record and another outstanding season.
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