Professional baseball has been played in the United States since 1869. Which means that any time someone does something never done before, it’s an enormous deal.
Last night in Miami, Shohei Ohtani did just that. With a truly absurd performance—take a deep breath first: 6-for-6 with three home runs, four runs scored, two doubles, two stolen bases and 10 RBI—Ohtani not only put up a stat line for the ages, he also became the first player ever to post a 50-50 season. That’s 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. Technically, because he went nuclear on the Marlins, he currently sits at 51-51. It goes without saying that no one has ever done that either.
When Ohtani first came stateside in 2018, the allure of him being both a hitting and pitching sensation caused baseball fans’ minds to run wild with possibilities. Is this actually the modern Babe Ruth? Will he ever hit and pitch in the same game? What does this mean for fantasy leagues? But this year, with arm troubles keeping him off the mound, we’re seeing the type of power he can harness when solely focused on the bat. And my oh my, has it been something. Heading into Thursday night’s game, Ohtani was sitting on 49 stolen bases and 48 dingers. After leading off the game with a double, he pounced on his opportunity in the first inning. Not for nothing, he got his 50th bag by stealing third base, which is much harder than stealing second base.
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In his next at-bat—which came in the second inning, as the Dodgers were already boat racing the Marlins—he whacked an RBI single. Ho hum, might as well turn it into a double by promptly stealing second base. (If not for Reds’ shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who might be an actual superhero, Ohtani would lead MLB in steals.) In the third inning, he picked up his second double of the day and got thrown out trying to extend it into a triple. Had that happened, this baseball bonanza would have also included a cycle. What a show off.
