MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to reach the 50/50 club Thursday, and he did so in dominant fashion: hitting two home runs and stealing two bases in a five-hit game that could clinch a playoff spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani led off the game with a double off the right-center field wall off Miami Marlins starter Edward Cabrera, then picked up his 50th steal of the season by stealing third base. A single in the second inning was followed by his 51st stolen base. Ohtani then added a two-run double in the third before being thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, and followed with a 438-foot homer into the second deck of LoanDepot Park in the sixth for his 49th homer.
Ohtani came up to bat again with runners on second and third and two outs in the seventh inning, leading many to wonder if the Marlins would pitch to him. They did, and Ohtani delivered, taking a 1-2 curveball from Mike Baumann and hoisting it over the left-center field fence for his 50th homer of the season.
Ohtani roared as he made his way down the first-base line, then emerged from the dugout for a curtain call after celebrating with his teammates. His five hits in five at-bats and five RBIs were season highs. Thursday marked Ohtani’s 13th game this season with at least one homer and one stolen base, tying Rickey Henderson’s 1986 season for the most in major league history.
His record-setting homer gave the Dodgers a commanding 14-3 lead, putting them in position to clinch another playoff berth. It will be Ohtani's first postseason appearance. The two-way star has played in 866 games without making the playoffs, the most among active players.
Soon, officially, that will come to an end.
