Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season during the most spectacular game of a history-making career for the Los Angeles Dodgers star, going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first big league player to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game.
The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-centre on two of his three homers at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider from George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th.
Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh inning, an opposite-field, two-run shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth, his 51st travelled 440 feet to right-centre, a three-run shot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to pitch with the game out of hand.
Ohtani took care of the stolen bases earlier in the game, swiping his 50th in the first and his 51st in the second.
The Japanese superstar led off the game with double against Edward Cabrera and swiped third on the front end of a double steal with Freddie Freeman, who reached 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 was already the sixth player in major league history and the fastest ever to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.
Ohtani’s previous career high in homers 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 $700 million US, 10-year deal with the Dodgers last December. The two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has played exclusively at designated hitter this season as he rehabilitates after surgery a year ago for an injured elbow ligament.
Preparation was a key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He regularly huddled with the team’s hitting coaches and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies with hitters and baserunners.
“I see all the work he puts in,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said recently. “It’s not like he goes out there and it’s too easy for him. He works harder than anybody. He scouts really hard. He’s playing a different game so it’s fun to see.”
Mission 50-50
Ohtani appeared to make the 50-50 mark his mission. He increased the frequency of his base-stealing attempts and in turn his success rate went up.
But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.
Ohtani’s teammates have enjoyed watching him crush home runs and scamper around the bases.
“I’m honestly kind of trying to learn from him just seeing the way he goes about his day-to-day business. He’s very consistent, the same demeanour throughout,” outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. “I think that’s why he’s such a good player.”
Third baseman Max Muncy added, “Every night I feel like he does something that we haven’t seen.”
What’s next for Ohtani?
The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, which will be another first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.
Another potential first could be earning National League MVP honours as a designated hitter. No player who got most of his playing time as a DH — without pitching — has ever won MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz placed high in the vote.
It would be Ohtani’s third career MVP award.
