For the first time in MLB history, a player has hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in a single season. On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers achieved this incredible feat by hitting his 49th and 50th home runs and stealing his 50th and 51st bases. This makes him the first member of the exclusive 50-50 club.
Here is Ohtani’s historic 50th home run to reach this milestone:
Thursday marked the 13th game this season where Ohtani both hit a homer and stole a base, tying Rickey Henderson’s record from 1986. Fans are probably thrilled with such an amazing performance.
Record-Breaking Season:
Ohtani isn’t just breaking records for single seasons; he’s joining legends like Barry Bonds and Brady Anderson who have had separate seasons with at least 50 homers or steals. His achievement also set a new Dodgers franchise record for most home runs in one season. Here’s how it stacks up:
- Shohei Ohtani, 2024:Â 50 (and counting)
- Shawn Green, 2001:Â 49
- Adrián Beltré, 2004: 48
- Cody Bellinger, 2019:Â 47
- Several tied with:Â 43
Both his homers (50) and steals (51) are career highs this year! Before this season, he never stole more than 26 bases in a year.
Ohtani’s pace picked up as the season progressed: five steals in April, eight in May, only three in June but then skyrocketed to twelve in July and fifteen in August! He’s already swiped eight bags this September.
Fans might think it’s amazing how quickly he reached milestones like joining the prestigious "40-40 club" on August 24 with a walk-off grand slam! He did it faster than anyone else ever has—just within his team’s first 129 games.
Here’s a look at MLB’s six "40-40 seasons":
| Year | HR | SB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers | 2024 | 50 | 51 |
| Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves | 2023 | 41 | 73 |
| Alfonso Soriano, Washington Nationals | 2006 | 46 | 41 < tr >< td > Alex Rodriguez , Seattle Mariners < td >1998 < td >42 < td >46 < tr >< td > Barry Bonds , San Francisco Giants < td >1996 < td >42 < tcodespan style = "color:red;" >40< /span >
This year he’s focusing solely on hitting while recovering from elbow surgery last September when he led the league with forty-four homers alongside pitching stats that earned him another MVP award! The Dodgers signed him to an enormous ten-year contract worth $700 million! Though heavily deferred payments mean he’ll get $2 million annually until ’33—that’s still record-breaking overall value! With nine games left this regular season—who knows what more magic awaits? What do you think of Shohei’s achievements?  |
