For the first time in Major League Baseball history, a player has hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in the same season. On Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani slugged his 49th, 50th, and 51st home runs of 2024, and also stole his 50th and 51st bases of the season, making him the charter member of the 50-50 club.
All told, Ohtani went 6 for 6 with two doubles, three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBI in Thursday’s win over the Miami Marlins (LA 20, MIA 4). Thursday was the 13th time this season Ohtani hit a home run and stole a base in the same game. That ties the single-season record set by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson in 1986.
Here is Ohtani’s historic 50th home run to reach 50-50:
Los Angeles has nine games remaining in the regular season, giving Ohtani time to pad his home-run and stolen-base totals. The single-season record for stolen bases by a Japanese-born player is 56 by Ichiro Suzuki, set during his Rookie of the Year and MVP season in 2001. That is within reach for Ohtani. His 51 homers are the most in a season for a Japanese-born player.
Ohtani joined the 40-40 club with a walk-off grand slam on Aug. 24. He reached 40-40 in only 129 team games, by far the fastest in history. Here are MLB’s six 40-40 seasons:
Ohtani is, of course, exclusively hitting this season as he completes his rehab from last September’s elbow surgery. A year ago, he slugged a league-leading 44 home runs and pitched 132 innings with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts en route to his second unanimous MVP award. Ohtani is making progress with his rehab and is expected to resume pitching in 2025.
To make Thursday’s game even sweeter, the Dodgers clinched a postseason berth with a 20-4 win. Ohtani is heading to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Here now is everything you need to know about Ohtani become the first 50-50 player in history, and his monster game.
1. It’s the first ever three-homer, two-steal game
Never before in baseball history had a player hit three home runs and stolen two bases in a single game. Ohtani is the first ever to do it. On only 19 other occasions did a player hit two home runs and steal two bases in a game. The last to do that was Ohtani’s teammate, Mookie Betts. Betts did it with the Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 23, 2020.
2. It was the 16th 10-RBI game
Ohtani became the first ever Dodgers player with a 10 RBI game Thursday, and the 16th player in MLB history to drive in 10 runs in a game. The last player to do it was Mark Reynolds, then with the Nationals, on July 7, 2018. Reynolds went 5 for 5 with a double and two home runs that day, coincidentally enough also against the Marlins. The single-game record is 12 RBI by Jim Bottomley (Sept. 16, 1924) and Mark Whiten (Sept. 9, 1993).
3. MLB’s seventh game with 17 total bases
Six hits, including two doubles and three homers, equals 17 total bases on the day for Ohtani. That’s a great week for most players. Ohtani is the seventh player with 17 total bases in the game and the first to do without hitting four home runs. Here are the others:
|
Shawn Green, Dodgers |
May 23, 2002 vs. Brewers |
19 |
6 for 6, 1 2B, 4 HR |
|
Josh Hamilton, Rangers |
May 8, 2012 vs. Orioles |
18 |
5 for 5, 1 2B, 4 HR |
|
Joe Adcock, Braves |
July 31, 1954 vs. Dodgers |
18 |
5 for 5, 1 2B, 4 HR |
|
Scooter Gennett, Reds |
June 6, 2017 vs. Cardinals |
17 |
5 for 5, 4 HR |
|
Mike Schmidt, Phillies |
April 17, 1976 vs. Cubs |
17 |
5 for 6, 4 HR |
|
Gil Hodges, Dodgers |
Aug. 31, 1950 vs. Braves |
17 |
5 for 6, 4 HR |
The case can be made Ohtani had the single most productive game in baseball history Thursday. The first ever with three homers and two steals, the 16th with 10 HR, and the seventh with 17 total bases. That is a whale of a ballgame.
4. How exclusive 50-50 really is
Ohtani is not just the first player with 50 homers and 50 steals in a single season. He’s only the third player to have a 50-homer season and a 50-steal season at any point in his career, joining Barry Bonds (73 homers in 2001 and 52 steals in 1990) and Brady Anderson (50 homers in 1996 and 53 steals in 1992). Including Ohtani, only 32 players have hit 50 home runs in a season, and 215 players have stolen 50 bases in a season. Othani is one of three to do both and the only one to do both in the same year.
5. He set the franchise home run record
Oh by the way, Ohtani set the Dodgers’ single-season franchise home run record Thursday. Here’s the leaderboard:
- Shohei Ohtani, 2024: 51 (and counting)
- Shawn Green, 2001: 49
- Adrián Beltré, 2004: 48
- Cody Bellinger, 2019: 47
- Several tied with 43
“Huge congrats to Shohei,” Green told Dodgers Insider. “If you’re going to have somebody tie and eventually break your record, who better than the greatest player who ever lived.”
The 51 homers and 51 stolen bases are both career highs for Ohtani. His previous career high in home runs was the 46 hit in 2021, his first MVP season with the Los Angeles Angels. Prior to 2024, Ohtani had never stolen more than 26 bases in a season. Our R.J. Anderson took a deep dive into Ohtani’s sudden stolen base prowess recently.
Ohtani’s stolen base pace has picked up significantly in recent weeks, suggesting 50-50 had become a goal. He stole five bases in April, eight in May, and only three in June. Ohtani then swiped 12 bags in July, 15 in August, and he’s at eight steals in September. He has more steals in the second half (28) than the first half (23) despite 38 fewer games played.
