There is only one member of the 50-50 club in MLB history after Shohei Ohtani’s historic night on Thursday. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar went 6-for-6 with three home runs, two doubles, two steals, four runs scored and 10 RBI during a 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins.
The win also clinched a playoff spot for the Dodgers, marking the first time in his MLB career that Ohtani will be playing in the postseason.
“I’m equally ecstatic with both experiences I had,” Ohtani told the MLB Network postgame through an interpreter. “The biggest thing for me was being able to finally achieve the dream of playing in a postseason game.”
As with any historic event in baseball, the Hall of Fame came calling for some of Ohtani’s equipment, which included his cleats that feature his dog, Decoy.
The entire sports world has been following Ohtani’s otherworldly season and there were lots of people finding themselves amazed yet again at the Japanese star’s exploits.
Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners pitcher: “Unbelievable season. Nobody’s done it before, so I’ve got a ton of respect for him. And, yeah, glad he’s on the Dodgers and not an AL team.”
Yusei Kikuchi, Houston Astros: “As I was finishing my warmup, I saw him hit his 50th home run,” Kikuchi said. “I was really excited and happy for him. All my teammates were watching, too, and they were pretty excited, too. I’m happy that it was a Japanese player that was able to accomplish it.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: “THIS GUY IS UNREAL!!!! WOWZERS”
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: “Insane!!!”
Billie Jean King, tennis Hall of Famer: “Make that 51/51 for Shohei Ohtani! Wow!”
Magic Johnson, basketball Hall of Famer: “On behalf of the Dodgers’ Ownership Group, I want to congratulate Shohei on being the 1st in MLB History to have a 50/50 season! Dodger Fans, we got a chance to be a part of MLB history!”
Former MLB slugger Jose Canseco was the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. Before the 1988 season he had predicted he would be the first member of the 40-40 club. He did just that while helping the Oakland A’s reach the World Series. Canseco was unanimously voted the AL MVP that season.
In 1988 I created the 40/40 club
35 years later Shohei Ohtani created the 50/50 club
Congratulations to him
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) September 19, 2024
Even Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, on the eve of his three-year, $192 million extension announcement, enjoyed the show.
Al Michaels, who has called many memorable baseball moments in his illustrious broadcasting career, took time out during Thursday’s game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots to acknowledge Ohtani’s feat.
Former MLBer Fred Lynn is one of 15 players to have driven in at least 10 RBI in a game when he did so against the Detroit Tigers in 1975 as a rookie with the Boston Red Sox.
The Tampa Bay Rays were getting Ohtani updates during their game against the Red Sox and had to watch history for themselves.
“We had gotten news that he was 6-for-6. We’re like, ‘What?’ And we’re all pulling it up on the iPad, the home runs he hit, and it’s like, dude is unbelievable,” said Rays shortstop Taylor Walls. “Three homers, [two] stolen bases, two doubles, 10 RBIs. Who does that? Nobody does that.”
