Superhuman. Otherworldly. Unbelievable. One of a kind.
They’ve all been used to explain Shohei Ohtani over the course of his two-way, two-continent and two-time MVP-winning career; lofty descriptors for a player unlike any other to ever grace a diamond.
But on Thursday afternoon, in what started as a sleepy matinee at loanDepot Park in central Miami, none of those terms quite captured the most defining performance of Ohtani’s baseball life.
He didn’t just become the first player in MLB history to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season, eclipsing both marks in the Dodgers’ 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins — one that just so happened to clinch the first postseason bid of Ohtani’s career.
But he did it with one of the greatest single-game performances the century-and-a-half old sport has perhaps ever seen.
Six hits in six at-bats. Three home runs and two steals. Ten RBIs and 17 total bases. And then, at precisely 6:55 p.m. EDT in the top of the seventh inning, one historic moment that will live in baseball immortality.
In his first at-bat with a chance to reach the 50-50 club, Ohtani got a hanging two-strike curveball from Marlins relief pitcher Mike Baumann. And as he had 49 times previously this season, Ohtani planted his left foot, violently flung his hips, then destroyed the baseball with a trademark, majestic swing.
Home run No. 50 was a 391-foot, 109.7-mph blast, equal parts predictable and astonishing.
Of course he got both his 50th home run and 50th stolen base (which came with a swipe of third in the first inning) in the same game.
Of course he didn’t waste a single at-bat to complete his historic chase, following up his 49th home run (a second-deck, two-run drive in the sixth inning) by getting his 50th in his very next trip to the plate.
Of course it came on the day of his first postseason-clinching celebration, too, a career-first accomplishment Ohtani has repeatedly prioritized when discussing his pursuit of 50-50 history.
“I think he wants to be the best player that’s ever played this game,” manager Dave Roberts said recently. “And one way to do that is to do something nobody has ever done.”
How about this for never-before-done history:
Ohtani’s 50th homer set a franchise record for the Dodgers (91-62), passing Shawn Green’s previous high of 49, set in 2001.
His 10 RBIs on Thursday were also a franchise record, to go along with his first career three-homer game and career-high six hits.
Ohtani’s third home run of the game came in the ninth inning, with the slugger finding the second deck again against position player pitcher Vidal Bruján.
And by the end of the day, almost every piece of his equipment — from his cleats to his batting gloves to his elbow protector and his bat — was being authenticated and likely bound for Cooperstown.
Ohtani has been accomplishing the unthinkable ever since he arrived in the majors in 2018. He became MLB’s first true two-way player since Babe Ruth a century earlier. He won a Rookie of the Year and two MVP awards. He led Japan to the World Baseball Classic championship in 2023 — clinching the title in the same stadium where he made history Thursday. He netted a record-breaking, albeit heavily deferred, $700 million contract to join the Dodgers this offseason.
This season, however, presented Ohtani a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery late last season, he hasn’t been able to pitch all year. And while he has missed the mound, his singular focus as a designated hitter created possibilities that once seemed out of reach.
Ohtani had approached 50 home runs before, clubbing 46 of them in 2021 and 44 in just 135 games last season.
But his power this year has only been amplified. Ohtani’s 51 home runs are the most in the National League, and behind only Aaron Judge for the MLB lead. He is the NL leader in slugging percentage, OPS and RBIs, as well.
Fifty stolen bases was the more unexpected accomplishment, a mark Ohtani might not have ever reached had he still been pitching.
As a full-time two-way player, he never swiped more than 26 in a single MLB campaign, always pacing himself on the base paths to conserve energy (and protect his body) while starting games roughly once per week.
Read more: Plaschke: How one man lost Shohei Ohtani’s 40-40 home run ball and found L.A. love in return
This year, though, Ohtani’s willingness to run — and confidence in doing so — has only grown as the season has progressed.
He reached 50 steals in the first inning Thursday, following up a leadoff double with a swipe of third on a double-steal.
He then picked up steal 51 without a throw in the second inning, his 28th in a row without getting caught.
This spring, though, Ohtani’s focus shifted. He worked with the Dodgers player performance and strength and conditioning staff to improve his jumps and acceleration. He dove into scouting reports with first base coach Clayton McCullough on opposing pitchers’ timing and pick-off tendencies, coupling a cerebral component with his explosive raw foot speed.
“I don’t think in years past, watching him, I don’t think he was a great base-stealer, I don’t think he got great jumps,” said Roberts, who once had a 49-steal season in the big leagues and swiped at least 40 bags three times. “But now when I watch him, especially from the third-base dugout at home, where I have a good visual of the pitcher and the runner, his jumps are on point.”
And where does that come from?
“Preparation, repetitions, studying pitchers,” Roberts said.
Not to mention, naturally versatile physical gifts — adding up to a history-making skill set beyond all description.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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