On August 23, Ohtani became the sixth member of MLB's 40-40 club. He joined Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), and Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023) in that exclusive group. Then he took things further. Now he stands alone in baseball history.

Ohtani became the first MLB player to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season during the most spectacular game of his career.

Shohei Ohtani is the first player in MLB history to rack up 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Magic Johnson was among the stars who gave Ohtani his flowers.

Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

Shohei Ohtani looked up at a visiting crowd that turned out to cheer him and the Los Angeles Dodgers — and ended up getting to witness one of the greatest individual performances, and seasons, in major league history.

Shohei Ohtani has made even more history. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger hit his 49th and 50th home runs of the season Thursday against the Miami Marlins, making him the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run and stole his 50th base of the season on Thursday, becoming the first MLB player to reach both benchmarks in the same season.

(Reuters) -Los Angeles Dodgers' slugger Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season with a stunning display of his many talents in Miami on Thursday.