Ohtani opted to get everything out of the way by stealing his 50th and 51st bases on Thursday against the Miami Marlins, even though he still had 10 games left to attain the unprecedented milestone.
Then, in the same game, Ohtani smashed his 49th and 50th home runs, shattering Shawn Green’s mark from 2001 for the most home runs a Dodger has hit in a season.
And Ohtani’s incredible day at the plate wasn’t finished, as in the top of the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 20-4 rout of the Marlins, he launched another home run to bring his season total to 51.
Ohtani went a perfect 6-for-6 at the plate to end the day with four runs scored, five extra-base hits, and 10 RBI. For a guy who suddenly seems likely to win the National League MVP this year, that’s an incredible output.
Ohtani didn’t waste any time getting on base in the top of the first inning. Going into this game, he needed just one stolen base to hit the half-century mark. He made an excellent leap to third base while standing on second base.