Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani made baseball history on Thursday by becoming the first player to ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
He did it with what might be the greatest single game performance in baseball history, by going 6-for-6 with four home runs, two doubles, two stolen bases, four runs scored and 10 runs batted in.
It is a fitting way for him to make baseball history. Arguably the greatest player of all-time, in what might be one of the greatest single seasons ever, with an all-time great single game performance.
It is not just the 50-50 aspect of the season that stands out. Here are five more incredible facts about his season.
- There are only two players in Major League Baseball history that have ever hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in different seasons. Barry Bonds did it with 73 home runs in 2001 and 52 stolen bases in 1990. Brady Anderson did it with 50 home runs in 1996 and 53 stolen bases in 1992. Ohtani has done it in the same season.
- His 51 home runs (and counting) are the new single-season franchise record for the Dodgers. Prior to his 2024 performance no Dodgers player in the 141-year history of the franchise hit more than 49 home runs. Shawn Green was the previous record holder with 49 home runs during the 2001 season. Adrian Beltre was second with 48 during the 2004 season.
- Along with the 50-50 aspect, he has a 1.005 OPS as of Thursday which is tops in the National League. That is .064 points ahead of the No. 2 player in the National League in OPS, Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves.
- He also has a 7.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which is also tops in the National League (exactly a half win more than the next closest player in the National League) despite the fact he has played zero innings in the field and did not pitch a single inning. He has accumulated all of that simply through his offense.
- He is leading the National League with 51 home runs, 120 RBI, is second in stolen bases, tied for eighth in doubles, fourth in walks and is tied for fourth with seven triples.
