On September 19th, 2024, in the top of the seventh inning of the Dodgers vs. Marlins game, Shohei Ohtani made history, being the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season. It didn’t start or stop there; the entire night Shohei Ohtani was making history.
Some people are still questioning if this was the greatest single-game performance in MLB history, and I’m here to end the debate once and for all. Batting leadoff against Miami’s Edward Cabrera, Ohtani hit a double on a line drive in the first, then stole third for his 50th stolen base and scored on a sacrifice fly. In the second inning Shohei hit a single, driving in a run, and then stole second for his 51st stolen base of the year. In the third, Ohtani came up to bat with a runner on first and third and doubled to bring both runners home. He was thrown out trying to advance to third which was the only out he’d make all day. If he had been safe, he would’ve hit for the cycle. In the sixth inning, with a runner aboard, Ohtani hit his 49th homerun 438 feet into the second deck in right-center field.
Ohtani came to bat yet again the next inning and wasted no time reaching 50 home runs. This also happened to set a Dodgers single-season record, but it was overshadowed by 50-50. With one runner on, right-hander Mike Baumann threw a knuckle curve low and away, and Ohtani destroyed it to the opposite field. The crowd went absolutely nuts, with both Marlins fans and the shocking amount of Dodgers fans for an away game alike cheering for this historic moment. Ohtani was now 5-for-5 with two homers, four extra-base hits and two steals. No player had ever gone 5-for-5 with two homers, four extra-base hits and two steals, but Ohtani was still not done making history.
The game was such a blowout that the Marlins had to have a position player pitch. Chris Taylor hit a two-out single to give Ohtani one last at-bat. Ohtani didn’t want anyone stuck on 50-50, blasting another home run to the second deck — 440 feet, and making the 51-51 club. That is an impressive distance on a normal pitch, but considering the pitch was 68 mph it makes it so much more amazing. This made his performance the 16th 10-RBI game since RBIs became official, the first Dodger and leadoff hitter to do it. The previous 15 players to do so combined for zero stolen bases in those games. He ended the day with 17 total bases, tied for fourth most in a game since 1901. It’s the seventh time a batter had at least 17.
While running the bases Dodgers announcer Joe Davis exclaimed “Oh my gosh! Shohei Ohtani! The greatest day in baseball history!” That is not a stretch, and here are just a few more of the historical things Ohtani did. Since RBI became official in 1920, only one MLB player has had, over the course of his entire career (same game or not), a game with 10+ RBI, a game with 6+ hits, a game with 5+ XBH, a game with 3+ HR, and a game with 2+ SB.
In case you were wondering, that one player is Shohei Ohtani. He did all of it in one game. What got lost in the shadows was Ohtani became the Dodgers’ all-time single-season home run leader. His first homer tied Shawn Green at 49 (2001), and his next one gave him sole possession. If you’re not already dumbfounded by this performance, here 3 of the most amazing facts from the game.
- No one had ever gone 6-for-6 with three homers, five extra-base hits and two steals, no one had ever had six hits, three homers and a stolen base, no one had ever had three homers and two steals, no one had ever had 17 total bases in a game in which they didn’t go deep four times, no one had ever had more than 11 total bases in a game in which they stole multiple bases, no one had ever had a 10-RBI game with even a single stolen base. Until Shohei Ohtani.
- Ohtani is the first member of the 50-50 club, but he was already in a league of his own once he reached 43-43. So here’s another way to put 50-50 in perspective: His 51 home runs are the most in a 50-steal season in MLB history. The prior mark was 41, by Ronald Acuña Jr. last season. Similarly, his 51 stolen bases are the most in a 50-homer season. The prior record was 24, done by Willie Mays in 1955 and tied by Alex Rodriguez in 2007.
- It was Ohtani’s fourth game this season with at least a home run and multiple stolen bases, tying Eric Davis in 1987 for the second most in a season since 1900, behind only Rickey Henderson’s five in 1986. It was also his 13th game with at least one of each, tying Henderson for the most in a season.
When Ohtani was interviewed he didn’t focus on his 50-50 accomplishment, moreso that the Dodgers had clinched a spot in the playoffs. He said, “Obviously, I changed teams this year and my goal has always been to make it to the playoffs. It’s something that I’ve really worked hard for and I’m really happy to be able to make it. Now my goal is to be able to perform well in playoff situations.”
Baseball fans around the world are celebrating, and the fan who got the ball may be the happiest of all. The Dodgers offered him 300,000 dollars, but he denied, smartly so. He will likely sell the ball for over a million dollars. MLB marketing is also loving this, quickly making advertising slogans, new merchandise and a bunch of record-setting social media posts. In the 24 hours after the game, there have been more than 450,000 mentions globally of Ohtani’s performance on social media, the highest 24-hour conversation of any player or topic baseball has ever tracked (dating back to 2015). Social posts featuring Ohtani have already generated 3.7 million engagements across MLB channels. On YouTube, Ohtani’s full game highlight and 50-50 homer highlight were No. 1 and 2 on YouTube trending, and MLB’s channel reached nine million views Thursday, an all-time record. MLB deputy commissioner of business and media Noah Garden said, “Social is just out of control this morning. We can’t put up content fast enough. And it’s getting shared wider than anything else we’ve ever put up.”
Shohei Ohtani has had a one of a kind season, and this is only half of his ability, as he hasn’t pitched this season. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery and still making history, and baseball fans can’t wait till he returns to the mound. But for now everyone is satisfied with 50-50.
