Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers writes baseball history | Baseball News

The player is the first in the MLB to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers made history in Major League Baseball (MLB) by becoming the first player in league history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Ohtani hit three home runs and increased his steals to 51 in the Dodgers’ 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

The win put the Dodgers in the playoffs, a first for Ohtani.

“To be honest, I’m probably the one who is most surprised,” the Japanese player said through an interpreter about his spectacular performance. “I have no idea where it comes from, but I’m happy that I played well today.”

It’s been an eventful year for Ohtani, who joined the Dodgers in December on a 10-year, $700 million contract after spending six seasons with the Angels, their city rivals.

He will not play as a pitcher this season as he recovers from reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow. He was also the victim of a scandal in which his former friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole millions of dollars from him to pay off his sports betting debts.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised his players’ performance as they celebrated the victory in the locker room.

“This game has been played for over 200 years,” Roberts said. “And nothing like this has ever happened.”

Ohtani, 30, tried to keep the focus on the team.

“I’m glad the team won,” he said, admitting that all the attention was on his 50-50 chase and he wanted to “put it behind him as quickly as possible.”

“This is something I will cherish for a very long time.”

Earlier this season, Ohtani became MLB’s all-time homer-hitting player among Japanese-born players when he surpassed Hideki Matsui’s record of 175 with 222 home runs over the course of his career.