Why Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 baseball record is such a big deal

During a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Miami Marlins on Thursday, baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani set a record that no other player has achieved.

In that game, Ohtani became the first baseball player to reach the elusive milestone of “50/50,” meaning hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases in a season. This new stat surpasses the records set by then-Seattle Mariner Alex Rodriguez in 1998, when he hit “42/42,” and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases in 2023. That's especially impressive because most players are either muscular power hitters or speedy base stealers, not both.

This latest record underscores Ohtani's dominance in Major League Baseball. First signed by the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, Ohtani has long been considered exceptionally talented because of his ability to hit and throw, a rare combination. Given his strengths as a “two-way player” – of a caliber not seen since the likes of Babe Ruth – he secured one of the most lucrative contracts in sports when the Dodgers offered him a 10-year, $700 million deal in 2023. Since entering MLB, Ohtani is the first player in recent memory to rank in the top 15 in both home runs hit and strikeouts pitched in a single season.

In addition to being the only member of the 50/50 club, Ohtani had a historically strong game on Thursday. In six at-bats, Ohtani hit three home runs, two doubles and a single, scoring one run each time. His hits also resulted in 10 runs batted in (RBIs), setting a new Dodgers record. And he stole two bases to boot. (That means he not only hit the 50/50 mark, but now actually has a record 51 home runs and stolen bases.)

Notably, Ohtani is still recovering from elbow surgery that has prevented him from throwing this season.

All of that made Thursday's game an apt summary of what made Ohtani a star. He's shown unusual versatility in the game, as a commanding pitcher and hitter and now as a record-breaking base stealer. Players recovering from surgery often have a down season, but that just wasn't the case with Ohtani. And as the Washington Post notes, it can take other players multiple games to accomplish what Ohtani did in one game on Thursday. That Ohtani was able to accomplish so much in Thursday's game shows why he's one of the most hyped athletes in Major League Baseball and is already considered by many fans to be one of the greatest players of all time.

The record is a testament to Ohtani's unique hitting power and speed.

Ohtani had one of his strongest offensive games of the season on Thursday, ultimately helping the Dodgers earn a spot in this year's playoffs with his runs scored. He has also refined his ability to steal bases and improved his “running technique” and more general offensive techniques, according to the Wall Street Journal. As ESPN notes, players in Ohtani's current position – designated hitter, an athlete who fills in for the pitcher – tend to be slow. Before this year, Ohtani had never stolen more than 26 bases in a single season.

After an injury in 2023, Ohtani was forced to take a break from pitching and instead used that time and energy to improve his base stealing. His recent success also comes after a dramatic sports betting scandal earlier this year involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who allegedly stole money from Ohtani to pay off debts and pleaded guilty to bank fraud. After a league investigation, Ohtani was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ohtani's record-breaking game this week clearly cemented his rise in the sport and was cheered by other baseball greats like Jose Canseco of the Oakland Athletics, who became the first player to reach “40/40” in 1988, and teammates like Taylor Walls of the Tampa Bay Rays, who said his team was watching Ohtani's game while playing their own.

“This guy is incredible,” basketball legend LeBron James posted on X.

Ohtani's Dodgers colleague, second baseman Gavin Lux, summed up Thursday's game and Ohtani's style of play best.

“That has to be the greatest baseball game ever. It has to be,” Lux said after the game. “That's impossible. That's ridiculous. I've never seen anyone do that, even in Little League, so it's crazy that he's doing that at the highest level.”