Shohei Ohtani is two homers and two stolen bases away from history, with 11 games to go.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star continued his campaign to post MLB’s first 50-50 season with a home run against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, his 48th of the season (video above). It wasn’t enough to offset the Dodgers’ pitching staff, though, which faltered in an 11-9 loss.
The homer ended a drought of four straight games without a homer for Ohtani, which wouldn’t sound like a long time for most players. For Ohtani, however, it was tied for his longest since July 12. The long ball put him one behind Shawn Green for the Dodgers’ single-season home run record, currently held by Green’s 49 in 2001.
Ohtani moved to 48 stolen bases on Wednesday at home against the Chicago Cubs, the same game in which he posted his 47th homer.
Wednesday marked the 12th time that Ohtani has recorded a homer and a steal in the same game, one short of the MLB record for most such games held by Rickey Henderson.
Is Shohei Ohtani on pace for 50-50?
Yes. With 48 home runs, 48 stolen bases and 11 games left on the Dodgers’ regular-season schedule, Ohtani is on pace for 51 homers and 51 steals by the end of the regular season.
Ohtani would need to go five consecutive games without either to fall off a track for 50.
The Dodgers’ remaining schedule consists of this series against the Marlins, followed by a homestand against the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, then a season-ending trip to the offense-friendly confines of Coors Field.
Shohei Ohtani has already made plenty of history with Dodgers
However his quest for a 50-50 season works out, Ohtani has done enough to make his first season with the Dodgers worth remembering.
As far as reaching certain numbers in home runs and stolen bases goes, Ohtani has journeyed deep into uncharted territory. In August, he became the sixth player to ever reach 40-40 — joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex RodrÃguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr. — and he did so in record time. The earliest any of those players had reached both thresholds was Soriano on Sept. 16, 2006.
And Ohtani’s 40th homer was a special one: a walk-off grand slam.
Rodriguez previously held the record for most in both categories, with 42 homers and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani matched that 42-42 season on his bobblehead night on Aug. 28 and surpassed it two days later on Aug. 30.
Ohtani’s current home run count surpasses his previous career high of 46 set in 2021, his first MVP year, and he has already shattered his previous best in steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in homers and ranks behind only Elly De La Cruz in steals.
And, of course, Ohtani set records for both size of contract ($700 million) and deferred contract money ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before this season.
Ohtani has built his career on being unprecedented. Even in a season in which he isn’t able to pitch, having undergone UCL surgery at the end of 2023, he is still doing things MLB has never seen.
