Shohei Ohtani Tracker: Dodgers star hits unprecedented 50-50 season, then 51-51 with epic game against Marlins

Shohei Ohtani did it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star has had an unprecedented 50-50 season, with 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season, and he did it with a nine-game lead.

He then reached the 51-51 club in the same game and helped his team to the first playoff berth of his career.

And Ohtani did it with one of the best offensive games in MLB history: 6-for-6, three home runs, two stolen bases, two doubles, four runs and 10 RBI. His 50th home run also broke Shawn Green's 2001 record for most home runs in Dodgers history.

The final piece of the puzzle fell in the seventh inning on Thursday against Marlins relief pitcher Mike Baumann.

Ohtani reached the half-century mark in steals early in the first inning by stealing third base after opening the game with a double.

The star DH later scored a run to give Los Angeles an early 1-0 lead over Miami. He recorded his 51st steal in the second inning after reaching base on an RBI single and reaching second base without throwing.

His 49th home run came in the sixth inning, and it was a big one. Statcast measured it at 111.2 mph and 438 feet, giving the Dodgers a 9-3 lead.

Considering Ohtani was ejected while attempting to turn a double into a triple in the third, he was just seconds away from getting a cycle.

The exclamation point came in the ninth inning against pitcher Vidal Brujan. Ohtani hit a home run, making it the first game with three home runs and two stolen bases in MLB history and the 16th game with 10 RBIs in MLB history.

Thursday was also Ohtani’s 13th game of the season with at least one home run and one steal, putting him on par with Rickey Henderson in 1986 for the most home runs in MLB history, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Shohei Ohtani has already made a lot of history with the Dodgers

In addition to his 51-51 season, Ohtani has done more than enough to make his first season with the Dodgers a memorable one.

Ohtani has broken new ground when it comes to reaching specific home run and stolen base numbers. In August, he became the sixth player ever to reach 40-40 – joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodríguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr. – and did so in record time. The earliest player to reach both thresholds was Soriano on September 16, 2006.

And Ohtani’s 40th home run was something special: a walk-off grand slam.

Rodriguez previously held the record for most home runs in both categories, with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani matched that 42-42 season record on his bobblehead night on August 28 and surpassed it two days later on August 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 surpassed his previous record for steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in home runs and trails only Elly De La Cruz in steals.

And of course, Ohtani set records in both contract size ($700 million) and deferred contract payments ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before this season.

Ohtani has built his career on unprecedented accomplishments, and even in a season where he won't be able to pitch due to UCL surgery in late 2023, he's still doing things the MLB has never seen.