On September 19, Shohei Ohtani recorded an unprecedented 50-50 season by hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases in the same season, then helped his team reach the 51-51 club in the same game and earn the first playoff berth of his career.
The historic achievement hasn’t dampened Ohtani’s momentum: He hit two more home runs and stole four more bases over the weekend in the Dodgers’ game against the Colorado Rockies, and on Wednesday he stole 56 bases, tying him with Ichiro Suzuki for the most stolen bases in a single season by a Japanese player.
Suzuki’s career high is 15 home runs.
The steal came after a one-run single in the sixth inning that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead in a key game against the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers entered Wednesday two games behind the Padres in the National League West with five games remaining. After this three-game series, the Dodgers will finish their season against the Colorado Rockies at offensively favored Coors Field.
What is Shohei Ohtani’s pace?
With just a few games left in the season, Ohtani doesn’t have much time to push his numbers into even more incredible territory, but he’ll try.
Ohtani had 53 home runs and 56 stolen bases as of Wednesday and is on pace to finish the season with 54 home runs and 57 stolen bases with four games remaining.
Ohtani reaches 50-50 in spectacular fashion
Not only did Ohtani go 50-50 on September 19th, but he also smashed through the walls of the new franchise like the Kool-Aid Man in one of the greatest offensive games in MLB history, going 6-for-6 with 3 home runs, 2 stolen bases, 2 doubles, 4 runs scored and 10 RBIs.
It was the first game in MLB history in which a player hit three home runs, stole two bases and recorded 10 RBIs in a game, and the 16th time a player has recorded 10 RBIs in a game. If there’s a single game that could top that, it would be a game in which a player hits four home runs.
The final piece of the 50-50 puzzle came from relief pitcher Mike Bauman in the seventh inning of a game against the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani led off with a double in the top of the first inning and then stole third base, recording his 51st stolen base in the top of the first inning and bringing his total to 50 stolen bases. He added another stolen base with an RBI single in the top of the second inning. The only out of the game came in his next at-bat in the top of the third inning, when the ball fell just short of a home run and he was called out while trying to extend his double into a third.
If the ball had traveled further, there would have been four home runs. If Ohtani had been a bit faster, he would have hit for the cycle.
Ohtani’s next three at-bats were all home runs, with his best moment coming in the ninth inning when he hit a home run off fielder Vidal Burjan.
Shohei Ohtani’s history goes beyond 50-50
In addition to making the 50-50 club, Ohtani did more than enough to make his first season with the Dodgers a memorable one.
When it comes to hitting certain numbers in home runs and stolen bases, Ohtani is treading deep into uncharted territory. In August, he became just the sixth player in history to hit 40-40, joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuna Jr., and he did it in record time. Of those players, the fastest to reach both milestones was Soriano, on Sept. 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 and stolen bases in both categories, with 42 and 46 in 1998. Ohtani tied that season record with a 42-42 record on Shakedown Night on Aug. 28, then surpassed it two days later on Aug. 30.
Ohtani’s home runs surpassed his previous career high of 46, set in 2021, his first MVP year, and he also broke his previous career high in stolen bases (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the National League in home runs and is second in stolen bases behind Ellie Dela Cruz.
The Sept. 19 game was Ohtani’s 13th game this season with at least one home run and one stolen base, tying him with Rickey Henderson in 1986 for the most in MLB history. Athletic’s Fabian AldayaThe next day, Ohtani hit his 52nd home run and 52nd stolen base, putting him in sole possession of those records.
Ohtani’s 50th home run also broke the Dodgers’ single-season home run record, previously held by Shawn Green with 49 in 2001.
And, of course, Ohtani set records for both contract value ($700 million) and deferred payments ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers prior to this season.
Ohtani has built a career on unprecedented performance, and even after undergoing UCL surgery at the end of 2023 and missing a season of pitching, he continues to perform like MLB has never seen before.
