Ohtani reaches 50-50 in iconic 3-HR, 6-hit, 10-RBI game

Of course he did it like this.

Shohei Ohtani went where no baseball player has gone before by completing the first 50-homer, 50-steal season in MLB history Thursday as part of an iconic 6-for-6 performance that included - among other things - three long balls and 10 RBIs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar's historic 50th blast was a two-run, opposite-field blast off Miami Marlins reliever Mike Baumann in the seventh inning. It also set a new Dodgers single-season record, breaking the previous mark set by Shawn Green in 2001. Homer No. 50 came a few innings after he swiped his 50th base of the season.

"I wanted to get it over (with)," Ohtani said through an interpreter, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Two innings after No. 50, Ohtani hit his third homer of the game - and 51st of the year - off Marlins position player Vidal Bruján to complete one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history.

"I'm happy, relieved, and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before who played the sport of baseball," Ohtani said after his masterpiece, per Bally Sports Florida.

Ohtani is the 16th player, and first Dodger, to record at least 10 RBIs in a game. The previous franchise record of nine had been accomplished by James Loney in 2006 and Hall of Famer Gil Hodges in 1950. He's also the sixth Dodgers player since 1901 to have six hits in a nine-inning game. This was also the first five-hit, three-homer game of his career.

His five extra-base hits also tied an MLB record that's been done by just 17 other players. Ohtani's the third Dodger to reach that mark, following Green in 2002 and Steve Garvey in 1977.

Ohtani, who entered Thursday sitting two homers and one steal shy of 50-50, also collected two stolen bases during the dominant performance. Of the 16 players who recorded a 10-RBI game, Ohtani is the only to also steal one base - let alone two - in the same contest, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. He also became the seventh player to collect at least 17 total bases in one game and the first to do so without hitting four home runs, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Ohtani also became the second Dodgers player since 1901 to record multiple home runs and steals in a single game, joining his teammate Mookie Betts, who did it in 2020, per Langs.

"He's one of one," manager Dave Roberts said, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com.

The two-way superstar is now hitting .294/.376/.629 with 51 homers, 120 RBIs, 92 extra-base hits, and 51 steals across 150 games this season. His 51 homers and 51 steals are the highest totals ever reached by one player in the same season.

Ohtani's now recorded both a home run and a stolen base in 13 games this season, tying Rickey Henderson's single-season record from 1986, according to Langs. He also has four games with at least one homer and two steals, which is one back of another single-season record held by Henderson.

If all that wasn't enough, Ohtani's performance ensured he'll play in October for the first time in the majors. The Dodgers thumped Miami 20-4 to clinch a playoff spot for the 12th consecutive season.