So what’s he going to do next?
Whatever expectations Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shohei Ohtani faced before the 2024 season started, they weren’t this.
How could they be this? No one has ever done what Ohtani has. At least not until he did it on Thursday night.
Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season in amazing display, as he homered three times and stole two bases in the Dodgers’ 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins. His three home runs and two steals in a game were also an MLB first.
He finished his historic night going 6-for-6 at the plate, collecting two doubles and a single along with his trio of round-trippers. He drove in 10 RBI, setting a Dodgers record. He also broke the Dodgers’ single-season record of 49 home runs, set by Shawn Green in 2001.
Ohtani doubled in the first inning and stole third base to reach 50 steals. He followed that with another steal in the second inning.
He connected for his 49th home run in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers a 9-3 lead and in the seventh inning he etched his name in the history books with an opposite-field blast to left field. He hit a three-run homer in the ninth for No. 51 and the hat trick.
Ohtani almost completed the cycle but was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in the top of the third inning.
With the win, the Dodgers clinched their 12th consecutive trip to the playoffs and the first postseason appearance for Ohtani after missing them during all six seasons he spent with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers reduced their magic number to clinch the National League West division title to six games.
More MLB: Dodgers infielder predicted to stick around with Los Angeles in 2025
