Ohtani Homers & Steals Base Chasing 50-50 Season

Shohei Ohtani is on the verge of making baseball history.

On Wednesday night, he blasted his 47th home run and swiped his 48th base in the Dodgers’ victory over the Cubs (LAD 10, CHC 8). With only 16 games left in the season, Ohtani is closing in on an unprecedented 50-50 milestone.

Here’s a look at Ohtani’s incredible home run from that game:

https://streamable.com/m/shohei-ohtani-homers-47-on-a-line-drive-to-center-field?partnerId=web_multimedia-search_video-share

"We all definitely know what’s going on. It’s fun to watch," said Will Smith after the game. "It’s fun to get a chance to see it every night. I think he’ll do it. I’m just trying to enjoy it as he tries to get there, but more importantly he’s trying to help us win ballgames."

Ohtani’s career-high of 48 stolen bases this season far surpasses his previous best of 26. His home run count also set a new personal record, beating the 46 homers he hit back in his first MVP season with the Angels in 2021. In three of the last four years, he’s managed at least 44 homers.

Historic Feats:

This season marks the twelfth time Ohtani has both homered and stolen a base in one game. He leads this category by a wide margin over Francisco Lindor, who has done it seven times. The all-time record for such games is held by Rickey Henderson with thirteen instances back in 1986.

Here’s how they stack up:

1. Rickey Henderson (1986): 13
2. Bobby Bonds (1973): 12
3. Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023): 12
4. Shohei Ohtani (2024): 12
5. Four players tied with eleven times

Fans might think it’s amazing how close he is to breaking such records!

Ohtani joined the elite "40-40 club" with a walk-off grand slam on August 24th, achieving this feat faster than anyone else ever has—just within 129 team games! This makes him part of an exclusive group alongside Acuña (2023), Soriano (2006), Rodriguez (1998), Bonds (1996), and Canseco (1988). No one before him has ever reached as many as forty-seven homers and forty-eight steals in one season.

Wednesday’s performance boosted Ohtani’s batting stats to .292/.375/.617 for his debut season with the Dodgers. He currently leads the National League not only in home runs but also runs scored, slugging percentage (.617), OPS (.992), total bases (353), and WAR (7.2).

What do you think about these records? Do you believe he’ll reach that elusive milestone?