Shohei Ohtani never ceases to amaze.

Just one day after the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season thanks to a three-homer, 10-RBI performance against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani was at it again against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

Facing Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland with one runner on and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ohtani worked the count full. Freeland then delivered a 92-mph fastball at the letters, a pitch that almost certainly would have been ball four.

But Ohtani had other ideas, as he crushed the pitch 423 feet over the center field wall for his 52nd home run of the year as the Dodger Stadium crowd let out an audible gasp.

SHOHEI OHTANI
HOME RUN NO. 52
FOR THE LEAD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kIfpUGO8iA

— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2024

There is perhaps only one baseball player on the planet who could have hit a pitch that high in the zone out of the park—and that’s Ohtani.

Ohtani made some more history in the Dodgers’ 6–4 win, as he homered and stole a base in the same game for the 14th time this season, breaking the previous mark for a single season set by then-New York Yankees outfielder Rickey Henderson in 1986.

Ohtani, the presumptive National League MVP, has posted a .297/.378/.635 slash line with 125 runs scored, 52 homers, 122 RBI and 52 stolen bases in 151 games played this season.

First base was open when Ohtani came up to bat in the seventh, but Marlins manager Skip Schumaker decided against intentionally walking him with the Marlins trailing 11-3.

“If it was a tight game, one-run lead or we’re down one, I probably put him on,” Schumaker said. “Down that many runs, that’s a bad move baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball god-wise. … I think out of respect for the game, we were going to go after him. He hit the home run. That’s just part of the deal. He’s hit (51) of them. He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen.”

Preparation was a key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He regularly huddled with the team’s hitting coaches and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies with hitters and baserunners.

“I see all the work he puts in,” catcher Will Smith said recently. “It’s not like he goes out there and it’s too easy for him. He works harder than anybody. He scouts really hard. He’s playing a different game so it’s fun to see.”

Ohtani appeared to make the 50-50 mark his mission. He increased the frequency of his base-stealing attempts, and in turn his success rate went up.

But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.

“He’s not pitching this year so I think he is emptying the tank offensively,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I do think the power, the on-base (percentage), the average, I think he can do that as a pitcher. He’s done something pretty similar like that with his OPS. But as far as the stolen bases go, I’m not sure about that.”

Ohtani’s teammates have enjoyed watching him crush home runs and scamper around the bases.

“I’m honestly kind of trying to learn from him just seeing the way he goes about his day-to-day business. He’s very consistent, the same demeanor throughout,” outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. “I think that’s why he’s such a good player.”

Third baseman Max Muncy added, “Every night I feel like he does something that we haven’t seen.”

What’s next for Ohtani?

The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, which will be another first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.

Another potential first could be earning National League MVP honors as a designated hitter. No player who got most of his playing time as a DH — without pitching — has ever won MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz placed high in the vote.

It would be Ohtani’s third career MVP award.