Shohei Ohtani passes historic 50-50 milestone in spectacular fashion

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani looked out at the crowd that had come to cheer him and the Los Angeles Dodgers — and ended up witnessing one of the greatest individual performances and one of the greatest seasons in major league history.

Fans held up their phones to capture the moment and chanted “MVP!” as Ohtani circled the bases after jumping the fence for the 50th time, becoming the first major league player to hit at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.

“I almost cried, honestly,” shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “It was a lot of emotion because of everything that was going on behind the scenes that we were witnessing every day.”

And what’s so amazing about it? Ohtani’s day isn’t over yet.

Ohtani crossed the 50-50 mark in the most spectacular game of his storied career, becoming the first major league player to hit three home runs and steal two bases in a single game during Thursday’s 20-4 victory over the Miami Marlins that also clinched the Dodgers’ playoff berth.

The Japanese superstar from Los Angeles, worth $700 million, hit his 49th home run in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs, becoming the first major league player to hit three home runs and steal two bases in a single game.

“It was something I wanted to overcome as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s something I’ll cherish for a very long time,” Ohtani said through an interpreter in a televised interview.

Ohtani reached the second deck in right-center for two of his three homeruns at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he blasted a 1-1 slider off George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th homerun.

Ohtani hit his 50th home run in the seventh inning, an opposite-field two-out shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth inning, his 51st came 440 feet to right-center, a three-out shot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who had come in to pitch when the game was already out of control.

“Honestly, I think I’m the one who’s most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where it came from, but I’m glad everything went well today.”

Ohtani entered the game with 48 homeruns and 49 steals. He got busy with stolen bases early, stealing 50 in the first inning and 51 in the second. He has been successful in his last 28 stolen base attempts.

He broke the Dodgers major league record of 49 homeruns set by Shawn Green in 2001. He also became just the third player in major league history to have at least six hits, three homeruns and 10 RBIs in a single game, joining Cincinnati’s Walker Cooper in 1949 and Washington’s Anthony Rendon in 2017.

Ohtani has 120 RBIs, second only to Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (53 home runs, 136 RBIs) in both categories.

Ohtani reached the 50-50 milestone in his 150th game. He became just the sixth player in major league history and the fastest to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.

His previous personal best for home runs was 46 in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels, when he made 23 starts and won the first of two American League MVP awards.

It was another memorable night for Ohtani at LoanDepot Park, where he struck out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout of the United States for the final home run of the 2023 World Baseball Classic while playing for Japan.

“I had some of the most memorable moments of my career here,” Ohtani said, “and this stadium has become one of my favorites.”

Ohtani, considered the greatest player in baseball whose accomplishments as a pitcher and hitter surpassed even Babe Ruth’s, reached new heights as an offensive player despite taking a year off as a pitcher.

Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract extension with the Dodgers last December. The two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has played exclusively as a designated hitter this season while recovering from elbow ligament surgery a year ago.

On Thursday, he finished the cycle with a triple fewer than his previous run, adding a run-scoring single and two doubles. He was thrown out at third base while trying to stretch his second double into a triple.

“There’s nothing you can say because there’s nothing anyone can do about it,” said teammate and former MVP Mookie Betts. “He’s just too good.”

First base was free when Ohtani came out to bat in the seventh inning, but Marlins manager Skip Schumaker decided not to intentionally give him a free base with the Marlins trailing 11–3.

“If it was a close game, a one-run lead or down by one, I probably would have put him in,” Schumaker said. “To have lost that many runs, it’s a bad move baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball-god-wise. … I think out of respect for the game, we were going to go after him. He hit a home run. That’s just part of the deal. He hit (51) of them. He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen.”

Preparation was key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He met regularly with the team’s batting coaches and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies against hitters and baserunners.

“I see how much work he puts into the game,” catcher Will Smith said recently. “It’s not like he goes out there and has it easy. He works harder than anyone else. He searches really hard. He plays a different game, so it’s cool to see that.”

Ohtani has clearly made 50-50 his mission. He has increased the frequency of his stolen base attempts, and as a result, his success rate has increased.

However, that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.

“He’s not pitching this year, so I think he’s emptying his tank offensively,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think power, on-base percentage, average, I think he can do it as a pitcher. He’s done something similar with his OPS. But stolen bases, I’m not sure about that.”

Ohtani’s teammates enjoyed watching him hit home runs and rush the bases.

“I try to learn from him, honestly, just watching how he handles day-to-day stuff. He’s very consistent, he’s got the same demeanor all the time,” defenseman 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 we haven’t seen before.”

What’s next for Ohtani?

The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, another first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a positive record during his tenure in Anaheim.

Another potential first would be to win National League MVP honors as a designated hitter. No player who has spent most of his playing time as a DH — not pitching — has ever won MVP honors, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz have all finished high in the voting.

It would be Ohtani’s third career MVP award.

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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this article.