Shohei Ohtani hits his 46th home run, equaling his 46th stolen base, en route to a 50-50 season

Shohei Ohtani is now four home runs and four stolen bases away from becoming the first 50-50 player in Major League Baseball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar hit his 46th home run of the season in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. Pitcher Tanner Bibee hung a changeup high in the middle of the strike zone in the fifth inning and Ohtani drove it down the right-field line for a 2-0 lead.

Umpires reviewed the play to see if Ohtani’s fly ball — which traveled 450 feet — was fair. The on-field reversal of the call could have sparked a riot among the Dodger Stadium crowd, but it was rightly upheld.

Ohtani tied his career-high with 46 home runs, a total he first reached in 2021. He also stole 26 bases that season, which was his previous record in that category. However, he was also caught stealing 10 times, compared to just four this season.

Since hitting his 43rd home run and stealing his 46th base, Ohtani has made history with each successive long ball and steal. No player has hit 42 homers and stolen 46 bases in a single season since Alex Rodriguez did so in 1998. Last year, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. went 40-70.

No player can steal that many bases and hit that many home runs at the same time. But Ohtani could become the first to reach 50 in both categories. And the Dodgers have 19 games left in their 2024 regular-season schedule before Ohtani reaches those numbers.