09/19/24 07:15:00
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09/19 19:14 CDT Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player to exceed
50 homers and 50 steals in a season
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player to exceed 50 homers and 50
steals in a season
By ALANIS THAMES
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to exceed 50
home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season during the most spectacular game of a
history-making career for the Los Angeles Dodgers star, going deep three times
and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his
51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first
big league player to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game.
"It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible. And, you know,
it's something that I'm going to cherish for a very long time," Ohtani said
through an interpreter in a televised interview.
The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center on two of his
three homers at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider
from George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th.
Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh inning, an opposite-field, two-run
shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth, his
51st traveled 440 feet to right-center, a three-run shot against Marlins second
baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to pitch with the game out of hand. The
Dodgers won 20-4 and clinched their 12th straight playoff berth.
"To be honest, I'm the one probably most surprised," Ohtani said. "I have no
idea where this came from, but I'm glad that it was going well today."
Ohtani took care of the stolen bases earlier in the game, swiping his 50th in
the first and his 51st in the second.
He broke the Dodgers' franchise record of 49 homers set by Shawn Green in 2001.
And he became the third player in major league history with at least six hits,
three homers and 10 RBIs in a game, joining Cincinnati's Walker Cooper in 1949
and Washington's Anthony Rendon in 2017.
The Japanese superstar led off the game with double against Edward Cabrera and
swiped third on the front end of a double steal with Freddie Freeman, who
reached on a walk.
Ohtani has been successful on his last 28 stolen base attempts.
He reached the 50-50 milestone in his 150th game. Ohtani was already the sixth
player in major league history and the fastest ever to reach 40 home runs and
40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.
Ohtani's previous career high in homers was 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in
2021, when he also made 23 starts on the mound and won his first of two
American League MVP awards.
Already the consensus best player in baseball whose accomplishments as a
pitcher and batter outpaced even Babe Ruth, Ohtani reached new heights as an
offensive player while taking the year off from pitching.
Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers last December. The
two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has
played exclusively at designated hitter this season as he rehabilitates after
surgery a year ago for an injured elbow ligament.
Preparation was a key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He
regularly huddled with the team's hitting coaches and studied video of opposing
pitchers to understand their tendencies with hitters and baserunners.
"I see all the work he puts in," Dodgers catcher Will Smith said recently.
"It's not like he goes out there and it's too easy for him. He works harder
than anybody. He scouts really hard. He's playing a different game so it's fun
to see."
Ohtani appeared to make the 50-50 mark his mission. He increased the frequency
of his base-stealing attempts and in turn his success rate went up.
But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.
"He's not pitching this year so I think he is emptying the tank offensively,"
Manager Dave Roberts said. "I do think the power, the on-base (percentage), the
average, I think he can do that as a pitcher. He's done something pretty
similar like that with his OPS. But as far as the stolen bases go, I'm not sure
about that."
Ohtani's teammates have enjoyed watching him crush home runs and scamper around
the bases.
"I'm honestly kind of trying to learn from him just seeing the way he goes
about his day-to-day business. He's very consistent, the same demeanor
throughout," outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. "I think that's why he's
such a good player."
Third baseman Max Muncy added, "Every night I feel like he does something that
we haven't seen."
What's next for Ohtani?
The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, which will be another
first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a
winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.
Another potential first could be earning National League MVP honors as a
designated hitter. No player who got most of his playing time as a DH ---
without pitching --- has ever won MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and
David Ortiz placed high in the vote.
It would be Ohtani's third career MVP award.
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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
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