Shohei Ohtani made history by becoming the first player ever in major league baseball to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
He accomplished this by hitting three home runs and stealing two bases, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers secure a spot in the playoffs with a big 20-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
“Happy, relieved and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before me to play this sport of baseball,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Ohtani also set a record for being the first player to hit three homers and steal two bases in the same game. He doubled twice, achieved a personal best with six hits, and set a Dodgers record with 10 RBIs.
His 51 home runs this season broke the previous franchise record of 49 set by Shawn Green in 2001. “The individual performance tonight was remarkable,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“With this game of baseball, it was a win for Major League Baseball. I know people all over the globe were watching this game and we’re excited to see that they got a chance to witness history.”
Ohtani started the game needing two home runs and one steal to reach the 50-50 mark. He doubled to start the game and then stole third base to achieve his 50th steal. He stole his 51st base in the second inning.
Ohtani hit his first home run in the sixth inning off reliever George Soriano, a 438-foot shot that put the Dodgers ahead 9-3. Later, in the seventh inning, he hit his historic home run, sending the ball over the left-field wall against Mike Baumann.
“Being honest, it was something I wanted to get it over as soon as possible,” Ohtani said. “The balls were being exchanged every time I came up to bat.”
His teammates celebrated with him as he reached the dugout, and the crowd of 15,548 kept cheering until he came out for a curtain call.
The Marlins’ home stadium holds special memories for Ohtani. It’s where he struck out star player Mike Trout to secure Japan’s win against the United States in the championship of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
“I’ve had perhaps the most memorable moments here in my career and this stadium has become one of my favorite stadiums,” Ohtani said.
With first base open before Ohtani’s first two home runs, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker decided to let Soriano and Baumann pitch to Ohtani instead of walking him intentionally.
“If it was a tight game, one run lead or we’re down one, I probably put him on,” Schumaker said. “Down that many runs, that’s a bad move baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball god-wise.
You go after him to see if you can get him out. I think out of respect for the game, we were going to go after him. He hit the home run. That’s just part of the deal.” The Dodgers respected Schumaker’s choice.
“A lot of us actually looked at the opposing dugout and I think a lot of the coaches were telling Skip, ‘Hey, we should walk him right here,’” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said.
“I’ve always loved Skip. When he was the first base coach in San Diego, I always talked to him. I heard all guys love to play for him. For him to do that, that’s awesome.”
Manager Roberts added: “The game was certainly out of hand. Guys got their starters out and then to take that potential moment away from the fans, Shohei himself, Skip understood that. It was bigger than that and I’ve got nothing but respect for that.”
In the ninth inning, Ohtani faced infielder Vidal Bruján and hit his third home run, a 440-foot, three-run shot that capped off a six-run inning.
Ohtani’s remarkable day almost included a cycle. He was out at third base while trying to turn his second double into a triple. The NL West-leading Dodgers secured their 12th straight playoff spot and lowered their magic number to clinch the division to six.
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty gave up three runs and five hits in six innings. Flaherty (13-7) walked two batters and struck out five.
Ohtani put the Dodgers ahead 7-1 with a two-run double in the third inning against Edward Cabrera (4-8), who was taken out after walking two batters with the bases loaded.
Andy Pages hit a two-run double in the seventh inning, boosting Los Angeles’ lead to 12-3, and he scored on Ohtani’s second homer.
