Shohei Ohtani

Havana, Sept 20 (RHC) - For the first time in the history of Major League Baseball, a player connects more than 50 home runs and steals more than 50 bases in the same season.

On Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani of Japan connected his 49th, 50th and 51st home runs of 2024, and also stole his 50th and 51st bases of the season, making him the founder of the 50-50 club.

It was the 13th time this season that Ohtani connected on a home run and stole a base in the same game. That ties the single-season record set by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson in 1986.

Ohtani hit 6-6 with two doubles, three home runs and two stolen bases in Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins and it is just the 20th time in history that a player has connected for two home runs and stolen two bases in a game.

The last to do so was teammate Mookie Betts, who did it against the Colorado Rockies on August 23, 2020.

Ohtani is just the third player to have a 50-homer season and a 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). The 51-51 are Ohtani's career highs. His previous personal best in home runs was 46 in 2021 in his first MVP season with the Los Angeles Angels.

Prior to 2024, Ohtani had never stolen more than 26 bases in a campaign.

Ohtani, of course, is hitting exclusively this season as he completes his rehab from elbow surgery last September. A year ago, he connected for a league-leading 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 progressing with his rehab and is expected to pitch again in 2025.

The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a whopping 10-year, $700 million contract last season.

The Dodgers have nine games left in the regular season, giving Ohtani time to increase his home run and stolen base totals. The record for stolen bases in a single season by a Japanese-born player is 56 by Ichiro Suzuki, set during his Rookie of the Year and MVP season in 2001.

It should be noted that the 51 home runs set the Dodgers' single-season franchise record.

Taken from El Economista