Shohei Ohtani’s September 19, 2024 game against the Miami Marlins wasn’t merely impressive—it was an epochal moment that redefined what was possible in Major League Baseball. Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani erupted for six hits in six at‑bats, including three home runs, two stolen bases, ten RBIs, and a pair of doubles—an offensive crescendo the sport had scarcely seen. That alone was astonishing. But woven into that singular performance was a milestone so profound it altered baseball’s statistical landscape: Ohtani became the first player in the history of the sport to achieve a 50‑home‑run and 50‑stolen‑base season, carving his name into a pantheon previously reserved for mythical figures. This wasn’t just a game; it was a statement—an emphatic declaration that the era of single‑dimensional phenoms was over, supplanted by a new breed of two‑way dominance.
In front of a shocked crowd of around 15,548 at loanDepot Park, Ohtani opened the floodgates. He stole his 50th base in the first inning and his 51st in the second. By the sixth inning, he had crushed his 49th home run. The tension built—slide into second; then the walk; then, in the seventh inning, he launched his 50th home run, sending a two‑run shot into the left‑center field bleachers as those in attendance—then fans nationwide—recognized the gravity of what was unfolding ([latimes.com][1]). By the ninth, he had added a third homer for good measure, finishing the night with 51 home runs and 59 stolen bases for the season . With that, he established the inaugural “50‑50” season—a feat never before imagined, let alone achieved.
This was Ohtani’s first year as exclusively a designated hitter. After undergoing elbow surgery in late 2023, the Dodgers elected to manage his throwing workload, and he didn’t pitch during the 2024 regular season ([en.wikipedia.org][2]). Yet his absence from the mound did little to diminish his impact. Some argued that unfettered by pitching duties, he “emptied the tank offensively” with reckless abandon ([edition.cnn.com][3]). And “abandon” it was. By year’s end, he led the league with 54 homers and 130 RBIs; stole 59 bases; hit .310; amassed a .636 slugging percentage and a historic 1.036 OPS; and topped categories ranging from total bases to extra‑base hits, runs scored, and OPS). The numbers weren’t just leading—they were historic.
That singular game against Miami highlighted not just an exceptional day, but an exceptional era. It included the third‑homer, two‑steal game—a combination so complex it had never been accomplished before ([apnews.com][4]). He became only the third player in MLB history to record six hits, three homers and ten RBIs in one game, joining Walker Cooper (1949) and Anthony Rendon (2017). For the Dodgers, he broke Shawn Green’s single‑season home run record of 49—a record that stood since 2001
The implications went beyond franchise history. When asked about whether anyone might top this performance, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shook his head: “He’s one of one.” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy remarked, “He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen”
The fan and media reaction was instantaneous and effusive. Social media erupted. LeBron James marveled: “This guy is unreal! Wowzers” ([bbc.com][5]). Patrick Mahomes called it “insane.” Commissioner Rob Manfred praised the milestone as “reflect\[ive] not just his amazing power‑and‑speed talent, but his character, his drive, and his commitment to all‑around excellence” ([bbc.com][5]). In Japan—home—watchers called it “the Big Bang,” and government spokespeople lauded it as an “amazing achievement” from a “national hero”.
Ohtani’s landmark year was recognized with an avalanche of awards. He was unanimously named the 2024 National League Most Valuable Player—an unprecedented honor for a full‑time designated hitter ([en.wikipedia.org][2]). He became the third player in MLB history to win MVP in both leagues (Angels and Dodgers), joining Frank Robinson . He also tied Michael Jordan with his third Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award, surpassing legends including Tiger Woods and trailing only the record‑holding quartet of Woods, Lance Armstrong, and LeBron James.
To put it in context, before 2024, achieving either 50 homers or 50 steals in a single season was rare—50 homers had occurred just \~50 times in MLB history; 50 steals, roughly 500 times ([en.wikipedia.org][8]). No player had ever done both in the same year. Players like Barry Bonds and Brady Anderson had hit 50 homers in different seasons; Acuña, 41 homers with 50 steals. None had combined the two pillars of power and speed until Ohtani.
Beyond stats, Ohtani changed how baseball thinks about player archetypes. He shattered the mold of single‑dimension superstars—either power hitters or base‑stealers—with a hybrid profile more emblematic of a strategic video game than traditional baseball. He rewrote career ceilings. He rewrote contract valuations—his \$700 million, 10‑year deal became the richest in professional sports ([en.wikipedia.org][8], [wou.edu][9]). He rewrote expectations for international influence, electrifying both Japanese and global audiences. His feats even pushed authorities to enforce tighter security protocols—umpires began using authenticated, specially‑marked baseballs to capture historic balls hit by him .
But Ohtani’s legacy isn’t just statistical. It’s narrative. It’s mythic. He stands not merely as a player, but as an idea—that one person can transcend archetypes: pitcher and hitter, power and speed, East and West. His career arc recalls Babe Ruth, yet extends far beyond. Where Ruth transitioned from pitching to hitting, Ohtani combines both at elite levels for years. In 2021, he was named both an All‑Star pitcher and hitter in the same season—the first in MLB history . In 2022, he hit 30 homers and notched ten pitching wins in one season—the first to ever do so in both leagues . Even before his 50‑50 season, Ohtani was repeatedly topping stat sheets and rewriting milestones: setting the single‑month home run mark in May 2024 (15 homers, tying Dodgers greats Guerrero and Snider); reaching the 40‑40 club faster than any player in history; and reportedly on pace for a near‑Triple Crown before a mid‑season slight decline .
Amidst this genial dominance, he remained humble. After his 50‑50 game, Ohtani said he was “happy, relieved, and very respectful to the peers and everybody that came before that played this sport of baseball” ([latimes.com][1]). He candidly admitted he was “surprised” by the milestone—“I have no idea where this came from”—and simply grateful his work was paying off . That quiet humility only amplified his achievements.
Ohtani’s performance had practical consequence: it helped clinch the Dodgers’ postseason berth—his first in franchise postseason history—and propelled them on a run that culminated in a World Series title in 2024 . It wasn’t just an individual triumph; it was the catalyst for team glory.
The magnitude of Ohtani’s 2024 season can’t be overstated: 54 homers, 130 RBIs, 59 stolen bases, league-leading OPS and WAR (9.1), NL MVP, World Series champion, one-of-a-kind 50‑50 season—the first of its kind—and global acclaim, including multiple Athlete of the Year awards. Modern analytics labeled it “the greatest all‑around offensive season in baseball history by a wide margin,” with top‑five finishes in virtually every major statistical category.
It wasn’t just performance; it was revolution. He shifted conversations: How do we evaluate two‑way players? What counts as peak athletic output? How do global markets respond to hybrid superstars? Ohtani answered all with one season.
What makes this story even more remarkable is what came next. In 2025, with his throwing arm healed, he returned to pitching duties—but in a way never seen. In Game 3 of the World Series, Ohtani started on the mound and hit cleanup—a matchless calibration of roles. He blurred lines: part ace, part slugger. There’s no precedent. There is no prototypical path. His next chapters are uncharted.
When historians write about the evolution of 21st‑century baseball, they will chronicle eras: the Steroid Era, the Analytics Era, the Global Era. Ohtani inaugurates what might be called the Hyphen Era—the era of the two‑way phenom, of supple mentorship between pitchers and hitters, of tri‑skill MVPs. He’s the apex of talent. The beginning of a new blueprint.
And yet, for all the records and accolades, Monday morning, you’ll still find him working—from batting cages to weight rooms—focused on details. Video sessions, sprint sessions, bullpen sessions. His work ethic has fueled his success and suggests that more milestones await. As his Dodgers uniform turns toward its second decade, American and Japanese flags stitched across his jersey sleeves, fans will watch to see what’s next: another MVP? Another World Series? A return to mound dominance? Perhaps an Olympic medal in 2028, with LA as host.
But regardless of what comes next, September 19, 2024 stands as a defining moment—in real time and in legacy. Six hits, three homers, two steals, ten RBIs, and a 50‑50 season? That’s a page of sports writing you can’t rewrite. That’s a record not made—it’s conjured. It’s as if baseball invented a new superlative and then filled it with only one name: Shohei Ohtani.
In the grand theater of Baseball America, where numbers meet narrative, Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 stands as poetic apex—beauty in motion, power and grace, intellect and instinct, work and wonder. He didn’t just win games; he expanded the possible.
