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Shohei Ohtani is three homers and two stolen bases away from history, with 16 more games to go.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his 47th homer of the season against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. With 47 stolen bases already on the board, it sealed MLB’s first 47-47 season. The homer also gave him a new career high in long balls, surpassing his previous best of 46 in 2021.
With two more homers, Ohtani would tie Shawn Green’s Dodgers record for most homers in a season. The former All-Star hit 49 in 2001.
Ohtani’s homer was only the start of the fireworks for the Dodgers on Wednesday, though. After a Cubs two-run rally in the top of the first, the Dodgers got on the board via Ohtani then had Tommy Edman, Will Smith and Max Muncy hit back-to-back-to-back homers off Chicago starter Jordan Wicks to go up 5-2.
That rally left Ohtani as the leadoff batter for the second inning too. After working a full-count walk, Ohtani swiped his 48th base of the season to inch closer to the mythical 50-50.
Wednesday was the 12th time Ohtani recorded both a homer and a steal in the same game, one game short of the MLB record for most such games set by Rickey Henderson.
He added another single in the third inning, but with no stolen bases. He had to make do with two more RBI to put the Dodgers up 7-3.
Is Shohei Ohtani on pace for 50-50?
Yes. With 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases and 16 games left on the Dodgers’ regular-season schedule after Wednesday, Ohtani is on pace for 52 homers and 53 steals by the end of the regular season.
Ohtani would need seven consecutive games without a homer to fall below a 50-homer pace.
Shohei Ohtani has already made plenty of history with Dodgers
However his quest for a 50-50 season works out, Ohtani has already done enough to make his first season with the Dodgers worth remembering.
As far as reaching certain numbers in both home runs and stolen bases go, Ohtani has journeyed deep into uncharted territory. In August, he became the sixth player to ever reach 40-40 — joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr. — and did so in record time. The earliest any of those players had reached both thresholds was Soriano on Sept. 16, 2006.
Ohtani’s 40th homer was a special one: a walk-off grand slam.
Rodriguez previously had the record for most in both categories with 42 homers and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani matched that 42-42 season on his own bobblehead night on Aug. 28 and surpassed it only two days later on Aug. 30.
The homer and stolen base totals are both personal bests as well. Ohtani’s home run count surpasses his previous career high of 46 in 2021, his first MVP year, and he has already shattered his previous best in steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in homers and ranks behind only Elly De La Cruz in steals.
And, of course, Ohtani set records for both size of contract ($700 million) and deferred contract money ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before the season.
Ohtani has built his career on being unprecedented. Even in a season where he’s not able to pitch, having undergone major UCL surgery at the end of 2023, he is still doing things MLB has never seen.