MLB’s first 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases make history
6 hits, 10 RBIs, 2 stolen bases in Miami
“A day I will never forget… I am happy because I achieved my goal”
After arm surgery a year ago, he did not pitch and bat, and focused on at-bats and stealing bases, setting an unprecedented record
《Ohtani, first ever ’50 home runs-50 stolen bases’ MLB new history
Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers, pictured) has become the first player in the 148-year history of Major League Baseball (MLB) to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. Ohtani hit three home runs and stole two bases in an away game against Miami on the 20th, bringing his total for the season to 51 home runs and stolen bases. Ohtani said, “I respect all those who have played baseball before me,” and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred congratulated him, saying, “I am proud that Ohtani continues to take baseball to new heights.”
“A new chapter in baseball history has opened.”
The office of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States announced this on social media on the 20th. This was after Shohei Ohtani (30) of the LA Dodgers became the first player in the 148-year history of MLB to create a 50-home run-50-steal club. There are no members of the 50-home run-50-steal club in Korean or Japanese professional baseball either.
Ohtani started as the designated hitter in the away game against Miami on the 20th with 48 home runs and 49 stolen bases on the season. Ohtani stole third base in the top of the first inning, reaching 50 stolen bases on the season, and hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the sixth (2 runs) and the top of the seventh (2 runs) to reach the unprecedented 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. Ohtani, who had already stolen a base in the top of the second inning and hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth, now has 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases on the season.
Until last year, the average number of stolen bases for a batter who hit more than 50 home runs in a season in MLB was 7.4. Even batters who succeeded in stealing more than 50 bases only recorded an average of 6.1 home runs. The American sports channel ESPN commented, “Ohtani’s establishment of the 50 home run-50 stolen base club is as amazing as Neil Armstrong leaving footprints on the moon.”
“Honestly, he was one of the most surprised people I’ve ever met,” said Ohtani. “It’s a day I’ll never forget. It’s even more special to be making this record at this stadium today.” This day marks exactly one year since Ohtani underwent elbow surgery. Also, Rondipo Park, where the game was held, is where the Japanese national team, including Ohtani, won the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on March 22 last year.
Ohtani ended the game with 6 hits in 6 at-bats (1 single, 2 doubles, 3 home runs), 10 RBIs, 4 runs, and 2 stolen bases. Ohtani is the first player in MLB history to hit 3 home runs and steal 2 bases in the same game. Ohtani’s teammate Gavin Lux said, “This will go down as the greatest baseball game in history,” and “I’ve never seen a player do this, not even in Little League.” NBA star LeBron James (LA Lakers) also added, “This guy is just unreal.”
The opposing team Miami also helped Ohtani achieve the record. Ohtani came to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with a 12-3 lead and hit his 50th home run of the season. It would not have been strange for him to have chosen an intentional walk in order to avoid becoming a victim of the record, but Miami manager Skip Schumacher chose to go head-on. “Out of respect for the game of baseball and Ohtani, we decided to go head-to-head with him,” Schumacher said, praising Ohtani, saying, “Ohtani is the most talented player I’ve ever seen.”
Ohtani is the first Dodgers player to hit 50 or more home runs in a season, and the first to have 10 RBIs in a game. With nine games left in the season, Ohtani recorded his 120th RBI, breaking Hideki Matsui’s 2005 record for most RBIs by an Asian hitter in a single MLB season (116 RBIs).
The Dodgers, who are currently in first place in the National League West, won 20-4 on this day, and with a season record of 91 wins and 62 losses (winning percentage of 0.595), they have secured their 12th consecutive postseason advance regardless of the results of the remaining games. Ohtani, who played for the LA Angels from 2018, when he first crossed the Pacific, until last year, will be stepping onto the ‘fall baseball’ stage for the first time since entering the major leagues. Ohtani, who signed with the Dodgers in the free agent market last year for a total of 700 million dollars (about 930 billion won), the largest contract in MLB history, said, “I am happy to have achieved the goal I have dreamed of since I first came to MLB.”
By joining the 50-50 club, Ohtani is one step closer to becoming the first MLB MVP to be awarded as a pure designated hitter. Ohtani won the American League MVP as a designated hitter in 2021 and 2023, but at the time he was a dual-hit pitcher.
Reporter Kang Hong-gu [email protected]
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2024-09-21 18:22:25