Can Shohei Ohtani go even further and pull off a 60/60 season? Exploring the possibility of Dodgers star extending the benchmark
Shohei Ohtani entered Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins with 48 homers and 49 stolen bases. A few hours later, he became the first hitter to reach the 50/50 club (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases). Ohtani homered three times and stole two bases to end a memorable night on 51/51.
During the 20-4 win, Ohtani had 10 RBIs, only the sixth time such a performance has been registered in the majors. Overall, he went 6-for-6, making every plate appearance count.
Now that he's on 51/51, the next mark could be 60/60. To achieve the unprecedented mark, Ohtani will have to hit nine home runs and steal nine bases in the remaining nine games. Essentially, it means a homer and a stolen base per game.
The Dodgers face the Colorado Rockies six times, while the remaining three games are against the San Diego Padres.
In his career, Shohei Ohtani has hit seven home runs in 20 games against the Rockies. Meanwhile, the Dodgers' slugger has struggled against the Padres, hitting just .188 while blasting only two home runs in 21 games.
Ohtani's quest for 60-60 seems improbable, but if he has one more game like he had on Thursday, there's no saying what the Japanese slugger could end up doing.
How did Shohei Ohtani reach the unprecedented 50/50 mark?
Shohei Ohtani needed two home runs and one stolen base to reach the 50/50 mark on Thursday. After hitting a leadoff double in the first inning, the Japanese ace stole third before coming in as the third run of the game to complete 50 stolen bases in a season.
His 49th home run came in the sixth inning off Miami reliever George Soriano. The Dodgers slugger hit a 0-1 slider for a 438-foot two-run home run to right field, giving the Dodgers a 9-3 lead.
Shohei Ohtani didn't keep historians waiting, as he smashed his 50th home run in the next inning against Marlins reliever Michael Baumann.
He would go on to improve to 51/51 on the season.
"Happy, relieved, and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before me to play this sport of baseball," Ohtani told reporters in Miami. "To be honest, it was something I wanted to get over as soon as possible."
Now all that remains is to see if it was just a trailer for what's to come in the postseason.