Ohtani eclipses 50 steals, two HRs shy of 50-50

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to reach the 50/50 club on Thursday, and he did so in dominant fashion — with three home runs and two stolen bases in a six-hit game that led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 20-4, postseason-clinching victory.

“It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s something that I’m going to cherish for a very long time,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

Ohtani opened the game with a line-drive double off the wall in right-center field against Miami Marlins starter Edward Cabrera, then picked up his 50th steal of the season by swiping third base. A second-inning single was followed by stolen base No. 51. Ohtani then added a two-run double in the third — before getting thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple — and followed with a 438-foot home run into LoanDepot Park’s second deck in the sixth for his 49th home run.

Ohtani came to bat again with runners on second and third and two outs in the seventh inning, prompting many to wonder whether the Marlins would pitch to him. They did — and Ohtani delivered, taking a 1-2 curveball from Mike Baumann and lofting it over the fence in left-center field for his 50th home run of the season.

Ohtani roared as he made his way up the first-base line, then stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call after celebrating with teammates. He then giggled as he made his way back into the first-base dugout the next half-inning — after clobbering a 440-foot home run off Marlins infielder Vidal Brujan.

“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad that it was going well today.”

Ohtani’s three homers, six hits and 10 RBIs all set career highs. The 10 RBIs set a Dodgers record. He became the first player with three home runs and two stolen bases in a game since at least 1900 and the first player since RBIs became official in 1920 with 10 RBIs and five extra-base hits in a game. Ohtani also became the second player since at least 1901 with six hits in a game, including five for extra bases, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The man who secured a 40/40 season with a walk-off grand slam on Aug. 23 had found another way to reach history in grand fashion.

The Dodgers’ convincing victory secured them another playoff spot. For Ohtani, it will be his first. The two-way star has played in 866 games without reaching the postseason, the most among active players.

Soon — officially — that will come to an end.

“Obviously I changed teams this year and my goal has always been to make it to the playoffs,” Ohtani said. “It’s something that I’ve really worked hard [for] and I’m really happy to make it, so now my goal is to be able to perform well in the playoff situations.”