Ohtani eclipses 50-homer, 50-stolen base threshold on day to remember against the Marlins

Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani made major-league baseball history against the Marlins at loanDepot park on Thursday, blasting a two-run homer over the left-field wall in the seventh inning to become the first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Ohtani wasn’t finished.

As an encore to his 391-foot shot off reliever Mike Baumann, Ohtani crushed a pitch from Vidal Bruján, an infielder brought in to pitch the ninth inning, 440 feet to right center for his career-best third homer of the game.

When the Dodgers’ 20-4 rout was over, Ohtani had even more spectacular stats: 6 for 6, 10 RBI, four runs scored, and two stolen bases — the first of which was his 50^th of the season.

“I’ve had perhaps the most memorable moments here in my career and this stadium has become one of my favorite stadiums,” said Ohtani, via an interpreter, of loanDepot park, where he led Japan to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship.

“Being honest, it was something I wanted to get it over as soon as possible. The balls were being exchanged every time I came up to bat.

“He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He is doing things I’ve never seen done before in the game. And if he has a couple more of these peak years, he might be the best ever to play the game.

“I wish I was in the stands rather than the dugout seeing it,” Schumaker added, “but I’m proud of the guys that were attacking him and not scared of him. That’s how you should go after it. I know Baumann didn’t want the home run to be hit. But [Ohtani] hit it. It was a good day for baseball, bad day for the Marlins.”