Shohei Ohtani first 50/50 player in Major League history

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani remained stoic as he rounded the bases in the ninth inning Thursday after hitting another magnificent home run that only further extended one of the most memorable performances in baseball history. But moments later, while fighting through the customary parade of high-fives in the dugout, he broke down, smiling sheepishly, gritting his teeth and rhythmically slumping his shoulders as if to express amazement — even embarrassment — at his relentless dominance.

That home run, hit by a fielder in a game that had spiraled completely out of control, was his third of the night and his 51st of the season. It brought in his 10th run, a Los Angeles Dodgers record. And it was an emphatic conclusion to a game in which Ohtani became the first 50/50 player in baseball history and secured his first berth in the Major League Baseball postseason.

Ohtani hit the 40/40 club 27 days ago with a walk-off grand slam. Then he set a new benchmark while potentially becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP title with a six-hit, three-home run, two-steal performance in the Dodgers’ 20-4 victory over the Miami Marlins. A Dodgers team that spent an entire summer praising Ohtani’s accomplishments is running out of explanations.

“To be honest, I almost cried,” said veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas. “It was very emotional because of everything that goes on behind the scenes and what we get to witness every day. It’s a pretty cool moment. We all know what he’s capable of, but for him to accomplish this goal — it’s pretty amazing.”

Ohtani was three home runs and two stolen bases away from 50/50 at the start of the Dodgers’ seven-game trip, but then managed just one home run and one steal in the first six games. As the final game of the series played out at loanDepot Park on Thursday, it seemed a sure thing that Ohtani’s milestone would wait until the Dodgers returned home. But Ohtani started with a line-drive double off the wall in right-center field, then picked up his 50th steal by slipping his foot under a tag from Marlins third baseman Connor Norby.

A single in the second inning was followed by stolen base No. 51. Ohtani then hit a two-run double in the third inning — before being thrown out trying to turn it into a triple — and hit a 438-foot home run into the second deck in the sixth inning, his 49th home run. When he came to bat again in the seventh inning, the Dodgers had runners on second and third base with two outs. First base was vacant, and Dodgers players began looking into the opposing dugout to see if the Marlins would intentionally walk Ohtani.

“Fuck that,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said on a television camera in his dugout. “I have too much respect for that guy to let that shit happen to me.”

Ohtani took a few big hits, but then he was back in the game. The score was 1-2 when Marlins right-hander Mike Baumann executed his knuckle curve for the second straight game and left the ball lying near the middle of the strike zone. Ohtani stayed back and threw the ball into the Recess Sports Lounge, located just beyond the left-center field fence, 391 feet away, for home run No. 50, which was a career high and a Dodgers record.

“He knows he’s about to make history,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “and somehow manages to stay inside the pitch and hit it on a line to left-center without trying to get too far — you know he’s thinking about hitting a home run and then he hits it on a line the other way at 111 miles an hour. It’s just incredible.”

The fan who secured the baseball left the stadium with it in hand, depriving Ohtani of a well-deserved memento but not the joy it brought him. Ohtani roared as he left the batter’s box and emphatically clapped first base coach Clayton McCullough’s hands as he turned around. He later said through an interpreter that he was “happy” and “relieved” to have finally reached the 50/50 milestone.

“I think he just felt good, sexy and just knew, ‘Today I’m going to do this,'” said Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts. “I mean, he could have hit four home runs today. I’m lost for words.”

A crowd of 15,548 witnessed Ohtani’s historic performance and gave him a standing ovation, after which he filed out of the dugout to close the curtain. Ohtani thanked the fans, the pitcher who hit the home run, and then the Marlins dugout – including Schumaker, who didn’t want to get in the way of history.

“I think that’s a bad move — baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball gods-wise,” Schumaker said of Ohtani’s intentional walk. “You go at him and see if you can get him out. I think out of respect for the game, we wanted to go at him. He hit the home run. That’s just part of the deal. He hit 50 of them. He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen. He does things I’ve never seen in the game before, and if he has a couple more of those peak years, he could be the best player ever.”

Shortly after the game, the Dodgers boarded a flight home to prepare for a weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. Their postgame celebration was limited to a champagne toast. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged they had clinched a playoff spot but reminded them that the goal is to once again conquer the National League West – where they hold a four-game lead over the San Diego Padres – and ultimately win the World Series.

He also praised Ohtani for making the playoffs for the first time – he has played 866 regular-season games in his career without making the playoffs, more than any active player – and for accomplishing something no player has ever done before. Many of those in attendance wore black 50/50 commemorative T-shirts that had been printed in advance.

“If I’m honest,” Ohtani said later, “it was something I wanted to get over with as quickly as possible because the balls were being swapped every time I was at bat.”

According to ESPN Research, Ohtani was the first player with three home runs and two stolen bases in a game. He is the second player since at least 1901 with six hits in a game, including five for extra bases — joining another Dodger, Shawn Green, who hit four home runs in 2002. He is also the first player since the introduction of RBIs in 1920 with 10 RBIs and five extra base hits in a game, and only the seventh to reach 17 total bases.

“This has to be the greatest baseball play ever,” said Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux. “It has to be. This is impossible. This is ridiculous. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like this, even in the minor leagues, so it’s crazy that he’s doing it at the highest level.”

That position was cemented in the ninth inning, when the Dodgers already led by 11 runs. The Marlins brought in Vidal Brujan, a 26-year-old super-utility player, and watched him throw 70 mph fastballs to carry them to the end of the game. When Ohtani came back to bat, one of his best friends on the team, Teoscar Hernandez, implored him to hit the ball into the gap between right and center field to secure a cycle.

“He told me to hit a three-pointer,” Ohtani explained in English from the locker next door.

“Instead, he hit the ball on the upper deck,” Hernandez said of the ball, which eventually flew 134 yards at 183 km/h. “That’s why we’re not friends anymore.”