Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, left, of Japan, watches the ball as he hits a home run, scoring Max Muncy and Chris Taylor, during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19, 2024, in Miami.Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press
Among the roughly 23,000 men who played Major League Baseball over the past century-and-a-half, none had a season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases – until now. Shohei Ohtani became the first 50-50 player on Thursday when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his 49th, 50th and 51st home runs and stole his 50th and 51st bases. The Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 20-4 and Ohtani went 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs, three homers, two doubles, two steals and four runs.
Why does Ohtani’s feat resonate so much among fans?
Home runs and steals are among the more popular baseball records – if not the most revered in the history of the game – whether it be most home runs (73) in a season or the modern-day mark for most stolen bases (130) in a season. So when one player reaches the once-unthinkable half-century mark in both, it stands out. Ohtani has captivated fans by doing what no player has done in two of the game’s most admired skill sets in the game.
How many members are there of the 40-40 club?
Just last month, on Aug. 23, Ohtani became only the sixth 40-40 player when he stole his 40th base in the fourth inning against Tampa Bay and hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the ninth inning off Colin Poche for his 40th homer. Oakland’s Jose Canseco became the first 40-40 player in 1988 and has been joined by San Francisco’s Barry Bonds in 1996, Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez in 1998, Washington’s Alfonso Soriano in 1996 and Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2023.
When was the first 30-30 season?
There have been just 72 30-30 seasons. Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns was the first to achieve the feat in 1922, the second season after the end of the Dead Ball Era. No one else reached 30-30 until the New York Giants’ Willie Mays in 1956 and ‘57.