Shohei Ohtani tracker: Dodgers star hits 47 HRs, 48 ​​SBs in quest for 50-50 season

Shohei Ohtani is just three home runs and two stolen bases away from making history with 16 games remaining.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his 47th home run of the season against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, adding 47 stolen bases to his tally, sealing MLB’s first 47-47 season. The homer also set a new career high in long balls, surpassing his previous record of 46 in 2021.

With two more homers, Ohtani would tie Shawn Green’s Dodgers record for most homers in a season. The former All-Star hit 49 in 2001.

Ohtani’s home run, however, was just the beginning of the fireworks for the Dodgers on Wednesday. After a two-run Cubs rally in the first inning, the Dodgers got on the board through Ohtani and then had Tommy Edman, Will Smith and Max Muncy hit two consecutive home runs from Chicago starter Jordan Wicks to make it 5-2.

That rally also left Ohtani as leadoff batter for the second inning. After a full-count walk, Ohtani stole his 48th base of the season to move closer to the mythical 50-50 tie.

Wednesday marked the 12th time Ohtani has both a home run and a steal in the same game, leaving him one game shy of the MLB record for most such games, set by Rickey Henderson.

He added another single in the third inning, but without a stolen base, having to settle for two more RBIs to put the Dodgers up 7-3.

Is Shohei Ohtani Heading for 50-50?

Yes. With 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases and 16 games remaining on the Dodgers’ regular-season schedule after Wednesday, Ohtani is on pace to have 52 home runs and 53 steals by the end of the regular season.

Ohtani needed seven consecutive games without a home run to get below 50 home runs.

Shohei Ohtani has already made a lot of history with the Dodgers

However his quest for a 50-50 season turns out, Ohtani has already done enough to make his first season with the Dodgers worth remembering.

When it comes to reaching certain numbers in both home runs and stolen bases, Ohtani has ventured deep into uncharted territory. In August, he became the sixth player ever to reach 40-40 — joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Ronald Acuña Jr. — and did so in record time. The first player to reach both thresholds was Soriano on Sept. 16, 2006.

Ohtani’s 40th home run was a special one: a walk-off grand slam.

Rodriguez previously held the record for most in both categories with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani tied that season mark of 42-42 on his own bobblehead night on August 28, then surpassed it just two days later on August 30.

The home runs and stolen bases are also both personal bests. Ohtani’s home run total surpasses his previous career high of 46 in 2021, his first MVP year, and he has already shattered his previous best in steals (26, also in 2021). He currently leads the NL in homers and trails only Elly De La Cruz in steals.

And of course, Ohtani broke records for both contract size ($700 million) and deferred contract amount ($680 million) when he signed with the Dodgers before the season.

Ohtani has built his career on being unheard of. Even in a season where he can’t pitch, following major UCL surgery in late 2023, he’s still doing things the MLB has never seen before.