"Greatest player who ever lived" - Ex-MLB stars like Jose Canseco shout out Shohei Ohtani as Dodgers star joins 50/50 club after historic outing
Shohei Ohtani had one of the most unbelievable games on Thursday, abusing the Miami Marlins' pitching staff (and a position player) to the tune of six hits (in six at-bats), three home runs, two stolen bases, 10 RBI and two doubles. It vaulted him into the 50 homer, 50 steal club, which he is the founding member of.
It was likely going to happen any day now, but since it did, the MLB world erupted. While the increased base size certainly gives players a better chance at stealing bases, 50 in a season is a hard bar to reach. Doing it alongside 50 home runs is even more challenging.
Former MLB players shouted out Ohtani after his stunning feat. Jose Canseco took to X to say that he created the 40/40 club, which has had a few members over the years, and congratulated Ohtani for outdoing him.
In doing so, he also shattered Shawn Green's Los Angeles Dodgers home run record. He hit 49 in a season, and Ohtani is now up to 51 and counting. Green said via Yahoo Sports:
“If you’re gonna lose a record, you want it to be to a great player, and he’s the greatest player who has ever lived. And the fact that he did it in such historic fashion may be even better."
He went on to shoutout the 50/50 club, saying that it's an unprecedented MLB milestone. "There aren't enough adjectives" to discuss how incredible Ohtani has been, according to the former star.
Ben Verlander, a former player turned podcaster, has always been a big fan of Ohtani, and he tweeted that the Dodgers star was the "greatest player" ever. Jerry Hairston, a former New York Yankees star, simply said Ohtani was "insane."
Sports legends shoutout Shohei Ohtani
The baseball world wasn't the only group in absolute awe of what Shohei Ohtani did yesterday. Everyone in sports was watching and was left stunned by what they saw. LeBron James, perhaps the greatest basketball player ever, gave Ohtani a shoutout.
NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman also gave him a shoutout, saying that he was "ridiculous." Friedman is in the throes of the NHL training camp/preseason schedule, but even he couldn't look away from the Dodgers and Ohtani.
All eyes seemed to be on Ohtani, which certainly came with some pressure. He responded by shattering the records in one historic game. His 6/6 performance has been labeled one of the best hitting performances of all time.