"Makes you speechless" - Dodgers players like Mookie Betts react to Shohei Ohtani's otherworldly performance after joining 50/50 club
Shohei Ohtani crushed three home runs and stole two bases as part of a six-hit performance that yielded 10 RBIs on Thursday. It also pushed him into the 50/50 club that no one else has been in before. After the game, he was up to 51 home runs and 51 steals.
It naturally prompted shoutouts from the entire sporting world, but it also got his teammates involved. The rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who see him every day, were thoroughly impressed with his outing and his historic season.
Star outfielder Mookie Betts shared a photo on his Instagram story and called Ohtani "the GOAT."
Betts also said after the game that he's just a fan of watching Ohtani. Betts said he had no idea Ohtani was perfect on the day, adding that what Ohtani does is expected at this point, which "makes you speechless."
Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty said:
"Crazy. I've seen a lot of history, I feel like I've been in the league that long. I've seen a lot of history, with Albert [Pujols] hitting 700, [Adam Wainwright] and [Yadier Molina] setting the most starts together... and then [Shohei Ohtani] doing 50/50. Every single one of them has been special, today was nothing short of it."
The Dodgers had a front-row seat to MLB history on Thursday. Several stars, including Freddie Freeman (who said "congratulations"), Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez gave him attention on their Instagram stories.
How Shohei Ohtani made history
While it didn't happen every single game, Shohei Ohtani recorded either a home run or a stolen base frequently, inching ever closer to the famed 50/50 club, which he eventually joined Thursday night.
He led off the game with a double to right field, narrowly missing his 49th home run. Shortly thereafter, he stole his 50th base. In the top of the second, Ohtani hit an RBI single and stole his 51st base.
Ohtani doubled again in the third, this time with two runners on, and was caught stretching at third (which would have made a cycle for the day with his later at-bats).
In the sixth inning, the slugger finally hit a ball that left the ballpark with his 49th home run. In the seventh inning, he added another to crack 50 for the season. To top it all off, he homered to close out the game (against a position player) in the six-run ninth inning.