Shohei Ohtani records the first 50-50 season in MLB history: Dodgers superstar hits 50 home runs and steals 50 bases

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 hit his 49th, 50th, And 51st home runs of 2024 and also stole his 50th and 51st bases of the season, making him a founding member of the 50-50 Club.

Overall, Ohtani hit 6-of-6, two doubles, three home runs, two stolen bases and 10 RBIs in Thursday's win over the Miami Marlins (LA 20, MIA 4). Thursday marked the 13th time Ohtani hit a home run and stole a base in the same game this season, tying the single-season record set by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson in 1986.

Here is Ohtani's historic 50th home run to make it 50-50:

Los Angeles has nine games left in the regular season, giving Ohtani time to improve his home run and stolen base numbers. The single-season record for stolen bases by a Japanese-born player is 56, set by Ichiro Suzuki during his Rookie of the Year and MVP season in 2001. That's within Ohtani's reach. His 51 home runs are the most in a season for a Japanese-born player.

Ohtani joined the 40-40 club with a walk-off grand slam on August 24. He reached 40-40 in just 129 team games, by far the fastest in history. Here are MLB's six 40-40 seasons:

Ohtani will, of course, be exclusively hitting this season as he completes his rehab following elbow surgery last September. A year ago, he hit 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 in his rehab and is expected to return to pitching in 2025..

To make Thursday’s game even more enjoyable, The Dodgers secured a place in the postseason with a 20-4 victory. Ohtani makes the playoffs for the first time in his career. Here's everything you need to know about Ohtani's rise to become the first 50-50 player in history and his monster game.

1. It is the first game with three home runs and two steals

Never before in baseball history had a player hit three home runs and stolen two bases in a single game. Ohtani is the first to do so. Only 19 other times has a player managed to hit two home runs and steal two bases in a game. The last to do so was Ohtani's teammate Mookie Betts. Betts did it with the Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies on August 23, 2020.

2. It was the 16th 10-RBI game

Ohtani on Thursday became the first Dodgers player with 10 RBIs in a game and the 16th player in MLB history to score 10 runs in a game. The last player to do so 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 also against the Marlins. The single-game record is 12 RBIs by Jim Bottomley (September 16, 1924) and Mark Whiten (September 9, 1993).

3. Seventh MLB game with a total of 17 bases

Six hits, including two doubles and three home runs, give Ohtani a total of 17 bases on the day. That's a big week for most players. Ohtani is the seventh player to total 17 bases in the game and the first to go without four home runs. Here are the others:

It's fair to say that Ohtani had the most productive game in baseball history on Thursday. His first ever with three home runs and two steals, his 16th with 10 home runs and his seventh with 17 total bases. That's an insane game.

4. How exclusive 50-50 really is

Ohtani is not only the first player to have 50 home runs and 50 steals in a single season. He is only the third player to have a 50 home run and 50 steal season at any point in his career, joining Barry Bonds (73 home runs in 2001 and 52 steals in 1990) and Brady Anderson (50 home runs 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 players 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 home run record on Thursday. Here's the ranking:

1. Shohei Ohtani, 2024: 51 (and counting)
2. Shawn Green, 2001: 49
3. Adrian Beltre, 2004: 48
4. Cody Bellinger, 2019: 47
5. Several tied with 43

“Congratulations to Shohei,” Green told Dodgers Insider. “If anyone can match and eventually break your record, who better to do it than the greatest player of all time?”

The 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases are both career highs for Ohtani. His previous career high for home runs was hit 46 times in 2021, his first MVP season with the Los Angeles Angels. Before 2024, Ohtani had never stolen more than 26 bases in a season. Our RJ Anderson recently took a close look at Ohtani's sudden ability to steal bases.

Ohtani's base-stealing pace has picked up significantly in recent weeks, suggesting that 50-50 has become the goal. He stole five bases in April, eight in May and just three in June. Then Ohtani stole 12 bases in July, 15 in August and he has eight steals in September. He has more steals in the second half (28) than in the first half (23), despite playing 38 fewer games.