Shohei Ohtani is Baseball's First 50-50 Man, and Oh, He Had a Dog on His Cleats!
In the grand world of baseball, where legends like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron set impossible standards, Shohei Ohtani is out here saying, "Hold my custom cleats; I got this."
On Thursday, Ohtani put on a performance so outrageous it almost seemed scripted, like something out of a video game. By the time the dust settled, Ohtani had accomplished the impossible: becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
Shohei Ohtani after hitting his 50th home run (Los Angeles Dodgers)
It's not just that he hit his 50th home run; it's the way he did it, in true Ohtani style, with a career-high three homers in one game and two stolen bases for good measure. He also racked up six hits and 10 RBIs in the same game against the Miami Marlins. Who does that?
After the game, he said through an interpreter, "To be honest, I'm the one probably most surprised. I have no idea where this came from." Neither do we, Shohei. Neither do we.
Ohtani's Thursday performance was straight out of the baseball gods' playbook. His 50th home run came in the seventh inning as an opposite-field shot. But wait, he wasn't done! Ohtani decided that one historic home run wasn't enough, so he casually blasted his 51st homer in the ninth inning, a 440-foot monster that left everyone at LoanDepot Park — and baseball fans worldwide — completely slack-jawed.
Shohei Ohtani celebrating with teammates (Los Angeles Dodgers)
And in case you thought Ohtani's baserunning was an afterthought, he swiped his 50th and 51st bases early in the game. With this feat, he became the first player ever to join the ultra-exclusive 50-50 club — a club that currently has exactly one member.
But let's not overlook the style Ohtani brought to this historic day. While smashing records and homers, Ohtani was rocking custom New Balance cleats featuring the art of his dog, Decoy. Ohtani's kicks were so iconic that they're headed to Cooperstown to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's peak baseball fashion.
Let's take a moment to truly appreciate this: Shohei Ohtani, who made his name as a pitcher AND hitter, just put up numbers that most players can only dream about... and he didn't even throw a single pitch. The man is recovering from elbow surgery and still leading the Dodgers on an epic playoff run. What makes this even sweeter? Ohtani's Thursday performance locked in the Dodgers' playoff spot, meaning Ohtani will make his postseason debut this year.
Fans at LoanDepot Park broke into spontaneous chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" after Ohtani's 50th homer. LeBron James even tweeted, "THIS GUY IS UNREAL!!!" and when King James weighs in, you know it's big.
With his 51 homers, 50 steals, and counting, Ohtani is now the front-runner for yet another MVP award. And here's the kicker: he's doing all this as a designated hitter. No player who has spent most of their time as a DH has ever won MVP — but then again, no player has ever been Shohei Ohtani.