Shohei Ohtani became the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season when he homered three times and stole two bases to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a playoff-clinching 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Ohtani also became the first player with three homers and two steals in a game. He doubled twice, had a career-best six hits and set a Dodgers record with 10 RBIs. His 51 homers this season broke Shawn Green's franchise record of 49, set in 2001.
Ohtani hit his 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.
"It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s something that I’m going to cherish for a very long time,” Ohtani said through an interpreter in a televised interview.
The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center 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 traveled 440 feet to right-center, a three-run shot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to pitch with the game out of hand. The Dodgers won 20-4 and clinched their 12th straight playoff berth.
Ohtani was mobbed by his Dodgers teammates when he reached the dugout. The crowd of 15,548 continued cheering until Ohtani emerged from the dugout for a curtain call.
“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad that it was going well today.”
Ohtani took care of the stolen bases earlier in the game, swiping his 50th in the first and his 51st in the second.
He broke the Dodgers' franchise record of 49 homers set by Shawn Green in 2001. And he became the third player in major league history with at least six hits, three homers and 10 RBIs in a game, joining Cincinnati's Walker Cooper in 1949 and Washington's Anthony Rendon in 2017.
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.
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.
Already the consensus best player in baseball whose accomplishments as a pitcher and batter outpaced even Babe Ruth, Ohtani reached new heights as an offensive player while taking the year off from pitching.
Ohtani signed a $700 million, 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.”
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.
“He’s not pitching this year so I think he is emptying the tank offensively,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “I do think the power, the on-base (percentage), the average, I think he can do that as a pitcher. He’s done something pretty similar like that with his OPS. But as far as the stolen bases go, I’m not sure about that.”
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 demeanor 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 honors 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.
AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
24 Comments
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Seigi
The Greatest Of All Time! Next to none.
Yubaru
By whose definition? The Japanese media? There is this guy named Aaron Judge who is in fact doing statistically better than Otani this year. But then the articles written here do show quite a bit of bias.
justasking
But Aaron Judge is also not a pitcher.
patkim
Congratulations Shohei! And he was so close to hitting for the cycle as well. The NL MVP is in the bag now.
Fighto!
Hats off to the G.O.A.T of baseball! Astonishing feat.
Ohtani has achieved everything this season. He'll be looking to next season now to go even better - perhaps a 60-60 as well as slowly getting back into his best in MLB pitching.
David Brent
I no nothing about baseball, so I have a question. On the NHK news at 9pm last night, during the obligatory fawning over Ohtani, they kept mentioning something called a "magic number". I think it was 8 for his team. What does this mean?
David Brent
*know
stormcrow
Wow! Unique, one of a kind, incredible…The Unicorn!
MilesTeg
Judge has got the higher batting average and more RBIs but it's not a huge gap. He's only stole 10 bases and he certainly can't pitch. This is a Japanese site isn't it and Judge isn't setting any MLB records this year. Sounds like you're the one with a bias.
3Hrs, 10RBIs, 2SBs...that's quite a day. Baseball greatness.
Futaro Gamagori
Why are some people too sensitive about this?
Saying someone is great doesn't cancel out the "greatness" of the others
They can all be great at the same time
Just enjoy if you like it and ignore if you don't care
Peter Neil
yes, no excellent performance goes unpunished on jt.
proxy
Incredible game by the best baseball player ever.
Some dude
Futaro GamagoriToday 10:02 am JST
Why are some people too sensitive about this?
Saying someone is great doesn't cancel out the "greatness" of the others
They can all be great at the same time
Just enjoy if you like it and ignore if you don't care
It's the same with tennis. Fanboys of the "big three" will never stop their childish name-calling about who's the "best". People just have to be right all the time.
TorafusuTorasan
@David Brent
If Ohtani coverage riles you up, I would advise you to stay away from your TV set tonight and through the weekend. Hours of talk about 50-50 to fill the three day holiday weekend.
Good question about magic number. I think it is a thing in NPB, while in MLB they talk about clinching the league or division title differently. What you saw on NHK last night was not about Dodgers, who already guaranteed a playoff spot with their win today, but a story about the Yomiuri Giants needing 8 wins to get their first league title in four years. My guess is the magic number is mostly marketing hype to remind fans to keep packing stadiums even when a team has an easy path to the playoffs.
patkim
I think we should appreciate greatness while we can. I remember always being excited at watching Micheal Jordan winning championships with the Bulls. Watching Tiger Woods in his prime winning majors with majestic drives. And now Shohei Ohtani bringing the excitement back to baseball. We should enjoy it while we can.
stanleyj
Bringing Judge into the equation is simply off the mark (off base, if you will).
Anybody who knows anything about baseball knows that a direct comparison of stats cannot be made across the American and National leagues. Different sets of pitchers, stadiums, etc. that the batters face.
Random
With nine games remaining, 55-55 is a real possibility. Big lead for NL home runs and with today’s 10 RBI’s most likely will lead the League in that as well.
For Japanese players today passes Matsui for most season RBI’s, and only five off of Ichiro’s 56 stolen bases.
Cephus
"Ohtani has 3 homers and becomes first 50-50 player as Dodgers clinch playoff spot."
Congratulations Ohtani San, that's not a small feat. And globally you have made many children smile and believe more in their abilities. Please, keep it up
Mocheake
Ohtani has not pitched this year and he is statistically behind Aaron Judge in almost every category, including WAR, which is the main measure nowadays of a player's worth.
stormcrow
What's next?
55 / 55 ???
Sanjinosebleed
This guy! Not only a legend on the field but seems like a really nice guy as well!
Mocheake
You do NOT know baseball.
BB
Best ever, hands down. Could almost forget that he's also a formidable pitcher the way he's playing... Get back to that part next season.
Mocheake
Can't tell some people the truth. Look up all the available stats. Ohtani leads in stolen bases and runs. WAR? Judge is ahead Average? Judge. Home runs? Judge. RBI? Judge. Slugging? Judge. On-base pct? Judge. OPS? Judge. Down vote it but you can't change it. The stats don't lie.