(Miami) Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first player in major league baseball history to hit at least 50 home runs and at least 50 stolen bases in a single season on Thursday night.
Against the Marlins in Miami, he even exceeded each of these plateaus.
The go-to hitter had a great night with six hits, including three home runs, 10 RBIs, two stolen bases and four runs scored.
“I wanted to get this resolved as quickly as possible,” Ohtani said through an interpreter in a televised interview. “It’s something that’s going to be on my mind for a long time.”
His home runs Nos. 49, 50 and 51 were hit in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings.
George Soriano, Mike Baumann and Vidal Brujan were its victims.
His first two were worth two points while the third had two runners on the trails.
The 49e and 51e were real cannon shots on the balcony of loanDepot Park, well beyond right field: the balls traveled 438 feet and 440 feet, according to calculations.
The 50e The circuit was hit to the opposite field, over a slightly more modest distance.
Ohtani is the first player in history to hit three home runs and two stolen bases in a game.
He also hit a one-run single and a two-run double.
The Dodgers pulverized the Marlins 20-4, improving their record to 91-62.
For the thefts, Ohtani reached the figure of 51.
The 30-year-old Japanese stole bases in the first two innings of the Dodgers’ 153rd game of the season.
In the first, he hit a double against Edward Cabrera before stealing third base, narrowly beating catcher Nick Fortes’ throw.
One inning later, it was the second goal he got.
He has converted his last 28 attempts to steal a cushion.
Ohtani has 51 home runs and 120 runs batted in this year. In major league baseball, he trails only Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees with 53 and 136.
Attendance was estimated at 15,548 people at the Marlins stadium.
That’s where Ohtani struck out Mike Trout of the United States to seal Japan’s triumph at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
“This is probably where I’ve had my most memorable moments in my career,” Ohtani said. “This stadium has become one of my favorite places.”
Six players are in the category of at least 40 home runs and at least 40 stolen bases in a season, but no one has done it as quickly (126 games).
It took him 150 games to create a club of which he is the only member, the 50-50.
The Dodgers’ single-season home run record was 49 by Shawn Green in 2001.
Before this year, Ohtani’s single-season home run high was 46 in 2021, in a Los Angeles Angels uniform.
That year, he also made 23 starts, en route to the first of his two AFC MVP titles.
He did not pitch in 2024, recovering from shoulder surgery.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December last year after six seasons with the Angels.