Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is widely credited with owning his own club, and he proved it Thursday when he became a founding member of Major League Baseball’s 50-50 club.
For those of you (us) who don’t know what that means, Ohtani is the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, a feat he accomplished in the Dodgers’ 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins this afternoon.
But that’s not all. On his way to 50-50, Ohtani made history again, hitting his 49th, 50th and 51st home runs of the season, as well as his 49th and 50th stolen bases — the first player in the league to score three home runs and steal two bases in one game.
Watch the moment Ohtani hit his 51st home run below:
“While Shohei Ohtani has been a standout player for years, his recent performance as the first 50/50 player in Major League history reflects not only his incredible power and speed talent, but also his character, drive and skill. His commitment to all-around excellence,” Commissioner of Baseball Robert Manfred said. said in the statement.
To illustrate how big of a deal this is for Ohtani, until Thursday the elite group of homers/stolen bases was known as the 40-40 club, a feat accomplished by just six other MLB players since 1988 with Jose Canseco. Ohtani joined the 40-40 club on Aug. 23 of this year, tallying 126 games, the shortest streak in MLB history. Just six days later he became the first member to reach at least 43 members.
Ohtani is expected to win his third MVP award this year after winning the American League MVP twice previously.
Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in 2023, when he signed the largest contract in sports history. As reported AthleticOhtani decided to defer the bulk of his salary ($68 million of $70 million per year) until his contract expires in 2034. At that point, the money would be paid out between 2034 and 2043.
