Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 is just the latest chapter of an extraordinary season for the Los Angeles Dodgers star

CNN
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It was perhaps fitting that Shohei Ohtani accomplished one of the most remarkable feats in baseball with an otherworldly performance.

In a game in which he set a new career high with three home runs and ten RBIs, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar did something no player had ever done before on Thursday: He hit his 50th home run of the season and stole his 50th base – by the end of the game he had already hit his 51st home run in each category.

A three-run homer in the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins got Major League Baseball’s 50-50 club going, of which Ohtani was a founding member, finishing the game 6-for-6.

“This was something I wanted to get over with as quickly as possible,” said the two-time American League MVP, who had been approaching the historic 50-50 mark for several weeks. “This is something I will remember for a very long time.”

The 20-4 victory over the Marlins also guaranteed the Dodgers a place in the playoffs. Coincidentally, it will be Ohtani’s first postseason appearance after missing each of his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

This will be the latest milestone in what have been, to say the least, eventful months of the Japanese star’s career.

His arrival with the Dodgers came with great fanfare, as part of a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract – reportedly the most expensive in North American sports history. It also surpassed MLB’s next-largest free agent deal – nine years and $360 million – that Aaron Judge signed with the New York Yankees in 2023.

However, Ohtani is deferring more than 97% of his contract until after the 10-year period ends and will now make just $2 million per year. Deferring the contract will reduce his personal tax liability while also easing the Dodgers’ competitive balance and cash flow burdens.

For LA, winners of ten of the last eleven division titles in the National League West, the signing of one of baseball’s rarest and greatest talents of all time was a defining moment, and Ohtani is expected to lead the franchise to new heights.

Even if one sets his usual high standards for the 30-year-old, not many would have expected him to have such a successful first season with the team, especially given the physical demands.

Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September 2023 – one year to the day before he opened the 50-50 club – and was advised that he would likely not be able to pitch until 2025, which on paper severely limits the effectiveness of the towering two-way star.

But despite not being on the mound, Ohtani had a phenomenal debut season with the Dodgers, hitting a franchise-record 51 home runs — surpassing Shawn Green on Thursday as the single-season most — with a .294 batting average, leading the Dodgers to a 91-62 record and the top spot in the NL West with nine games remaining in the regular season.

Before Ohtani, the players who came closest to a 50-50 season were Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, who stole 73 bases and hit 41 home runs in 2023, and Alex Rodriguez, who hit 42 home runs and stole 46 bases with the Seattle Mariners in 1998.

The Japanese star also became the fastest player in MLB history to reach the 40-40 mark last month, doing so in the Dodgers’ 129th game of the season. In July, he became only the third player in franchise history to join the 30-30 club, joining Raul Mondesi and Matt Kemp.

Even though Ohtani hasn’t pitched this season, he’s still the clear favorite for the NL MVP award. He could be the first to do so despite playing exclusively as a designated hitter (DH). The two-way star has been working diligently on his rehab and threw from the mound in practice last month for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery, sparking rumors and hopes that he could pitch in the playoffs.

“This game has been around for a long time,” Dodgers general manager Dave Roberts said after Ohtani hit 50/50, “and to do something nobody’s ever done before – he’s one of a kind. He couldn’t be a more talented player, he couldn’t be more humble.”

Japanese tourists flocked to the City of Angels to see one of their country’s biggest stars, and on Friday government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi sent his congratulations.

“We sincerely hope that Mr. Ohtani, who has already achieved one accomplishment after another and ushered in a new era, will continue to be successful,” Hayashi said at a press conference.

To keep up with growing interest from Asia, the Dodgers also host stadium tours in Japanese, serve a variety of Japanese dishes and have recruited dozens of Japanese sponsors.

Ohtani’s record-breaking season on the diamond, however, came against a backdrop of challenges off the field.

In June, his longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty in court to fraud and tax evasion for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. The revelation came just hours after the batter made his first appearance for the Dodgers during the MLB season’s opening game in South Korea.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mizuhara gained access to Ohtani’s bank account and then arbitrarily changed the account’s security protocols. He also called the bank approximately 24 times posing as Ohtani.

Following the revelation of Mizuhara’s gambling problem, there was speculation for weeks and questions were raised about how much Ohtani knew about the situation.

Both the baseball phenom and Mizuhara — whose sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25 — claimed Ohtani knew nothing about the gambling and theft. When Mizuhara pleaded guilty to the charges, Ohtani said he was done with the matter.

“This has been an exceptionally challenging time, so I am especially grateful for my support team – my family, my agent, my agency, my lawyers and advisors, and the entire Dodger organization who have shown endless support throughout this process,” he said in a statement. “It’s time to close this chapter, move on and stay focused on playing and winning ball games.”

The incident now seems like an eternity ago, so turbulent was Ohtani’s first season as a Dodger. With his sensational performances at the plate – the most impressive being Thursday’s history-making performance – the focus has returned to his unique and extraordinary talent on the field.

As the Dodgers advance to their 12th consecutive playoff berth, their World Series ambitions are gaining momentum. Ohtani is at the forefront of that, and baseball fans around the world will be eagerly awaiting what more history he can make.