Shohei Ohtani is just one home run away from history with 10 games left.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star reached the first milestone of his season, completing his first 50-50 season in MLB by stealing his 50th and 51st bases against the Miami Marlins on Thursday. He then added his 49th home run of the season, tying Shawn Green’s 2001 season for the most home runs in Dodgers history.
Ohtani reached the half-century mark early in the first inning by stealing third base after opening the game with a double.
The star DH later scored a run to give Los Angeles an early 1-0 lead over Miami. He made his 51st steal of the second inning, reached base on an RBI single and took second base without throwing.
The home run came in the sixth inning and was a big one. Statcast measured it at 111.2 mph and 438 feet, giving the Dodgers a 9-3 lead.
Considering Ohtani was ejected while attempting to turn a double into a triple in the third, he was just seconds away from getting a cycle.
Thursday was also Ohtani’s 13th game of the season with at least one home run and steal, which puts him on par with Rickey Henderson in 1986, who, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Is Shohei Ohtani on a 50-50 course?
Yes. With 49 home runs, 51 stolen bases and nine games remaining in the Dodgers’ regular season, Ohtani is on pace to have 52 home runs and 54 steals by the end of the regular season.
Ohtani would have to go six games in a row without a home run to get under the 50-home run mark.
The Dodgers’ remaining schedule consists of a home game against the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, followed by a season-ending road game at offense-friendly Coors Field.
Shohei Ohtani has already made a lot of history with the Dodgers
Whatever happens in his quest to achieve a 50-50 season, Ohtani has done enough to make his first season with the Dodgers a memorable one.
Ohtani has broken new ground when it comes to reaching specific home run and stolen base numbers. In August, he became the sixth player ever to reach 40-40 – joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodríguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr. – and did so in record time. The earliest player to reach both thresholds was Soriano on September 16, 2006.
And Ohtani’s 40th home run was something special: a walk-off grand slam.
Rodriguez previously held the record for most home runs in both categories, with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani matched that 42-42 season record on his bobblehead night on August 28 and surpassed it two days later on August 30.
Ohtani’s current home run count surpasses his previous career high of 46, set in 2021, his first MVP year, and he has already surpassed his previous record for steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in home runs and trails only Elly De La Cruz in steals.
And of course, Ohtani set records in both contract size ($700 million) and deferred contract payments ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before this season.
Ohtani has built his career on unprecedented accomplishments, and even in a season where he won’t be able to pitch due to UCL surgery in late 2023, he’s still doing things the MLB has never seen.
