In his historic, record setting fashion, L.A. Dodgers’ DH Shohei Ohtani went 6-6, with 10 RBIs including 3 HRs in the Dodgers win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park; all while putting himself in a solo class as the only player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal rack up 50 stolen bases in single season.
Ohtani’s 10 RBI game set a franchise record for Los Angeles to help lock in their 12th postseason berth in a row.
The 30-year-old native of Japan became the sixth member of the 40/40 club last month with a monstrous walk-off grand slam in his 126th game of the season against the Rays.
Ohtani stole third base for his 50th bag after smashing a sharp double to right field in the first inning off RHP Edward Cabrera. In the sixth, Ohtani blasted his 49th homer to right fields upper deck, knocking in two runs off righty George Soriano. In the next inning, the 6’4″ switch player took Mike Baumann’s low knuckle curve to the opposite field , making him 5-5 at his next to last at-bat, with four extra base hits, including two homers and two steals. Another MLB record in what could be called the greatest single game for any player in history.
In his last visit to the plate of the night, the Marlins put second baseman Vidal Brijan on the mound and baseball’s “unicorn” did exactly what was expected of him with a 68 mph fastball; Shohei sent another ball to the upper deck for his 51st homer of the regular season.
Before Ohtani’s 50/50 record, the closet any other player got to 50 stolen bases with 50 HRs was the Alex Rodriguez(24) in 2007 and the late, great Willie Mays(24) in 1955.
This single season, record-breaking performance on the diamond comes exactly one year to the day after his elbow surgery, which took the multi-faceted player off the mound for 2024, but is expected to make a full recovery in order to make a pitching comeback in 2025.
Surpassing the comparisons of players such as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, Shohei Ohtani just proved that fans won’t see a player of his caliber anytime in the foreseeable future.
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