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AP Photo/Marta Lavandier
It’s Going, Going, It’s Gone! Los Angeles Dodgers superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani did the unthinkable in MLB history: Breaking open the 50-50 club by hammering home his 50th home run (finishing with 51) to go along with his 50 steals this season. Sports has brought us many great athletes through the decades and centuries. Humans who pushed the outer limits of what the human body can do that seems infeasible.
Many great athletes have roamed this planet, but some are “mythical.” Whether that’s Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Phelps, Babe Ruth, Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Muhammad Ali, etc, it shouldn’t be possible to be so dominant amongst the elite of the elite, separating yourself so far ahead of the competition that it’s laughable. That’s precisely what Ohtani did Thursday night in the Dodgers 20-4 rout over the Miami Marlins in astonishing fashion.
Ohtani has enthralled us for many years with his unmatched versatility on the diamond. It’s impressive because he’s the first player to achieve 50-50 a year after coming off Tommy John's elbow surgery. He’s producing arguably the most remarkable baseball season ever, and he’s not even pitching! Ohtani finished with the most incredible individual statistical game in MLB history with three homers, 10 RBIs, two stolen bases, and a perfect six for six in his six at-bats.
Coming into the game, we knew he had to hit two homers and needed two stolen bases to open up the 50-50 club, and it was a spectacle from the beginning. His first homer came with the game still competitive at 7-3, favoring the Dodgers in the sixth inning on a two-run home run to deep right field that would lead to destruction for the poor Marlins fans who couldn’t help but be in awe of history. Home run 49!
Did Ohtani Have The Greatest Individual Performance In MLB History?
Yes without a doubt
No I've seen better
The 50 stolen bases were achieved in the first inning by the Japanese sensation, adding another chapter to his legend. But the moment everyone was waiting for was the 50th homer. The crowd was on their feet, eagerly anticipating a moment that had never been witnessed in the illustrious history of the MLB- a man about to achieve the impossible.
It’s the seventh inning; the Dodgers are up 11-3 on the Marlins with second and third loaded. Ohtani steps up to the plate, his face composed as if alone in the batting cage. The Marlins pitcher Mike Baumann somehow got a strike on Ohtani, a foul ball, and the subsequent throw to make it a 0-2 count. Ohtani, poised as ever, kept his cool.
Two pitches later, with a 1-2 ball-pitch count, everyone’s phones out to capture history as an 89mph baseball approaches MLB’s premier star. Ohtani swings and hits the ball out of the park for homer number 50, setting a new benchmark in baseball history that will inspire generations of sports fans and players, shaping the future of baseball.
Ohtani’s magic didn’t end there, as he casually and seamlessly bombed his third and final homer of the night in the ninth in his curtain call with the game already way out of reach for the Marlins to put the icing on the cake to the most outstanding individual performance in MLB history. Humble, courteous, and mythical is what Ohtani is.
This game marked the 10th 10 RBI game in Dodger history and the 16th overall in MLB history. The Dodgers clinch their trip to the postseason (first in Ohtani’s career) as they look to win a World Series with their super team of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and others.
Ohtani seizes the big moment and bright lights, never seeming to break a sweat when his team needs him most. As the playoffs inch closer and closer, let's all gear up and prepare for what should be a mesmerizing postseason with the face of baseball finally able to show his best on the biggest stage in front of a grander audience.
Gear up for "Shotime Shohei!"
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