Shohei Ohtani records first 50-50 season in MLB history: Dodgers superstar hits 50 homers and steals 50 bases
For the first time in Major League history, a player has hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in the same season. On Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit his 49th, 50th and 100th home runs. and 51 home runs in 2024, and also stole his 50th and 51st bases of the season, making him a founding member of the 50-50 club.
In all, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with two doubles, three homers, two stolen bases and 10 RBIs in Thursday's win over the Miami Marlins (LA 20, MIA 4). Thursday marked the 13th time this season that Ohtani has hit a home run and stolen a base in the same game. That ties the single-season record set by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson in 1986.
Here's Ohtani's historic 50th home run to make it 50-50:
Los Angeles has nine games left in the regular season, giving Ohtani time to add to his home run and stolen base totals. The record for stolen bases in a season by a Japanese-born player is 56, set by Ichiro Suzuki during his Rookie of the Year and MVP season in 2001. That's within Ohtani's reach. His 51 home runs are the most in a season by a Japanese-born player.
Ohtani joined the 40-40 club with a walk-off grand slam on Aug. 24.He reached 40-40 in just 129 team games, by far the fastest in history. Here are the six 40-40 MLB seasons:
Ohtani, of course, is hitting exclusively this season as he completes his rehab from elbow surgery he suffered last September. A year ago, he hit a league-leading 44 homers and pitched 132 innings with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts en route to his second unanimous MVP award. Ohtani is making progress with his rehab and is expected to pitch again in 2025..
To make Thursday's game even sweeter, The Dodgers clinched a playoff spot with a 20-4 victoryOhtani is headed to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Here's everything you need to know about how Ohtani became the first 50-50 player in history and his monster play.
1. It's the first three-homer, two-steal game.
Never before in baseball history has a player hit three home runs and stolen two bases in a single game. Ohtani is the first to accomplish this. Only 19 other times has a player hit two home runs and stolen two bases in a game. The last to do so was Ohtani's teammate, Mookie Betts. Betts did it for the Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 23, 2020.
2. It was the 16th 10-RBI game
Ohtani on Thursday became the first Dodgers player with 10 RBIs in a game, and the 16th player in MLB history to drive in 10 runs in a game. The last player to do so was Mark Reynolds, then with the Nationals, on July 7, 2018. Reynolds was 5-for-5 with a double and two homers that day, coincidentally also against the Marlins. The single-game record is 12 RBIs by Jim Bottomley (Sept. 16, 1924) and Mark Whiten (Sept. 9, 1993).
3. Seventh MLB game with 17 total bases
Six hits, including two doubles and three homers, equals 17 total bases on the day for Ohtani. That's a big week for most players. Ohtani is the seventh player with 17 total bases in the game and the first not to hit four homers. Here are the others:
|
Shawn Green, Dodgers |
May 23, 2002 against the Brewers |
19 |
6 of 6, 1 2B, 4 HR |
|
Josh Hamilton, Rangers |
May 8, 2012 vs. Orioles |
18 |
5 of 5, 1 2B, 4 HR |
|
Joe Adcock, Braves |
July 31, 1954 against the Dodgers |
18 |
5 of 5, 1 2B, 4 HR |
|
Scooter Gennett, editors |
June 6, 2017 vs. Cardinals |
17 |
5 out of 5, 4 HR |
|
Mike Schmidt, Phillies |
April 17, 1976 against the Cubs |
17 |
5 of 6, 4 HR |
|
Gil Hodges, Dodgers |
August 31, 1950 against the Braves |
17 |
5 of 6, 4 HR |
Ohtani had an arguable game of the most productive game in baseball history on Thursday. He was first with three homers and two stolen bases, 16th with 10 homers and seventh with 17 total bases. It's a spectacular game.
4. How exclusive is 50-50 really?
Ohtani is not only the first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. He is only the third player to have both a 50-homer season and a 50-stolen base season at any point in his career, joining Barry Bonds (73 homers in 2001 and 52 stolen bases in 1990) and Brady Anderson (50 homers in 1996 and 53 stolen bases in 1992). Including Ohtani, only 32 players have hit 50 home runs in a season, and 215 players have stolen 50 bases in a season. Ohtani is one of three to do both and the only one to do both in the same year.
5. He set the franchise home run record.
Ohtani, by the way, set the franchise single-season home run record for the Dodgers on Thursday. Here's the standings:
- Shohei Ohtani, 2024: 51 (and counting)
- Shawn Green, 2001: 49
- Adrian Beltre, 2004: 48
- Cody Bellinger, 2019: 47
- Several tied with 43
“Huge congratulations to Shohei.” Green told Dodgers Insider“If you're going to have someone to match and eventually break your record, who better than the greatest player who ever lived.”
Ohtani's 51 homers and 51 stolen bases are career highs. His previous career high for homers was 46 in 2021, his first MVP season with the Los Angeles Angels. Prior to 2024, Ohtani had never stolen more than 26 bases in a season. Our RJ Anderson recently took an in-depth look at Ohtani's sudden base-stealing prowess..
Ohtani's base-stealing pace has improved significantly in recent weeks, suggesting that 50-50 had become a goal. He stole five bases in April, eight in May and just three in June. Ohtani then stole 12 bases in July, 15 in August and has eight steals in September. He has more steals in the second half (28) than in the first half (23) despite having played 38 fewer games.
