Shohei Ohtani Tracker: Dodgers star becomes first player to reach 400 total bases since 2001

Shohei Ohtani reached an unprecedented 50-50 season on September 19th with 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season. He then tied the club 51-51 in the same game while also helping his team to the first playoff berth of his career.

But that wasn’t the end of the story he wrote this season.

On Thursday, Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI and a double, enough to bring him to 400 total bases this season. He is the 19th player to ever achieve this feat and the first since the quartet of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Todd Helton and Luis Gonzalez in 2001.

An RBI single in the seventh inning that gave the Dodgers the lead also gave Ohtani 10 for his last 11 with runners in scoring position, which doesn’t sound possible. In his last seven games, he was an inhuman 20-for-29 with five doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI, 12 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

That performance helped the Dodgers win their 11th NL West title in 12 seasons with a 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

With the division and wild card bye now in hand, the Dodgers can get off to a leisurely start in their final series of the season, taking on the last-place Colorado Rockies at offensive-friendly Coors Field. It’s hard to blame Ohtani for being out of sorts in the last three games.

What is Shohei Ohtani on pace for?

With only a few games left in the season, Ohtani doesn’t have much time to make his numbers any more ridiculous, but he’ll try.

With 53 home runs, 56 steals and four games remaining after Wednesday, Ohtani is on pace to finish the season with 54 home runs and 57 stolen bases. Of course, he only needs one ridiculous game, which Coors Field is capable of, to create a 55-55 season.

Ohtani reached 50:50 in spectacular fashion

Ohtani not only reached 50-50 on September 19th, he also broke through the walls of the newly formed club like the Kool-Aid Man with one of the best offensive games in MLB history. His overall line: 6-for-6, three home runs, two stolen bases, two doubles, four runs and 10 RBI.

It was the first three-homer, two-steal game and the 16th 10-RBI game in MLB history. If there are better single-game performances, it was four home runs.

The final piece of the 50-50 puzzle came in the seventh inning of that game against the Miami Marlins when reliever Mike Baumann retired.

Ohtani had already reached the half-century mark in steals early in the first inning, after opening the game with a double, he stole third and then added his 51st steal in the second inning on an RBI single. His only exit from the game was his next at-bat in the third, when his ball narrowly missed a home run and he was thrown out trying to turn a double into a triple.

Had the ball gone further, it would have been a four-homer game. If Ohtani had been a little faster, it would have been a cycle.

Ohtani’s next three at-bats all resulted in home runs, with the exclamation point coming in the ninth inning against position player pitcher Vidal Brujan.

Shohei Ohtani’s story goes beyond 50:50

In addition to starting the 50-50 club, Ohtani did more than enough to make his first season with the Dodgers memorable.

When it comes to hitting certain numbers in home runs and stolen bases, Ohtani has ventured deep into uncharted territory. In August, he became the sixth player ever to reach 40-40, joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodríguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr., and did so in record time. The first of these players to reach both thresholds was Soriano on September 16, 2006.

And Ohtani’s 40th home run was special: a walk-off grand slam.

Rodriguez previously held the record for most players in both categories with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani reached the record of 42-42 on his bobblehead night on August 28th and surpassed it two days later on August 30th.

Ohtani’s home run total surpasses his previous career high of 46 set in 2021, his first MVP year, and he has surpassed his previous best in steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in home runs and trails only Elly De La Cruz in steals.

The September 19 game was Ohtani’s 13th game of the season with at least one home run and one steal, tying him with Rickey Henderson in 1986 for the most games in MLB history Fabian Ardaya from Athletic. A day later, Ohtani took sole ownership of the record when he hit home run No. 52 and stole base No. 52.

Ohtani’s 50th home run also broke the Dodgers’ single-season home run record, previously held by Shawn Green in 2001 with 49. With his 56th stolen base, Ichiro Suzuki tied the most home run ever by a Japanese-born player.

And of course, Ohtani set records for both contract size ($700 million) and deferred contract amount ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before this season.

Ohtani has built his career on being unparalleled. Even in a season where he won’t be able to pitch due to undergoing UCL surgery at the end of 2023, he’s still doing things the MLB has never seen.