Shohei Ohtani’s historic pursuit: Chasing 50/50 club in home runs and stolen bases

Shohei Ohtani could be on his way to another record-setting accomplishment.

In his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after signing the largest contract in MLB history, Ohtani earned membership into the 40/40 club on Aug. 23 against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he stole a base in the bottom of the fourth and hit a walk-off grand slam.

Ohtani became the sixth MLB player to join the 40/40 club and the first since Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2023, when the Atlanta Braves star smashed his 40th home run in the final week of the regular season to go with 73 stolen bases.

On Friday, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases in a single season.

With more than a month of regular-season baseball remaining for the Dodgers, Ohtani is on track to become the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases.

40/40 club

Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves, 2023 (41 HRs, 73 SB)

Alfonso Soriano, Washington Nationals, 2006 (46 HRs, 41 SB)

Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners, 1998 (42 HRs, 46 SB)

Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics, 1998 (42 HRs, 40 SB)

Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, 1996 (42 HRs, 40 SB)

We’re tracking Ohtani’s quest to become the first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.

Home run No. 44

Ohtani found his groove in August.

The Dodgers star smashed a leadoff home run Saturday, a day after his 43rd homer. It marked his 12th homer in August, tied for third most in a month in his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Home run No. 43 and stolen base No. 43

After stealing his 43rd base in the second inning, Ohtani launched homer No. 43 in the eighth to give the Dodgers a 10-5 lead.

A pitch in the dirt from Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen led to an easy stolen base for Ohtani, his 43rd being the second most in Major League Baseball behind Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz.

Home run No. 42 and stolen bases Nos. 41 and 42

On the bobblehead night dedicated to him and his dog, Decoy, Ohtani met the moment, smashing a long ball off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes in the first inning. The 391-foot homer came on the fifth pitch of the game. It marked Ohtani’s fourth leadoff home run this season and first at Dodger Stadium, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

He also stole two bases, giving him 10 games this season with a home run and a stolen base. No other player this season has more than six.

Home run No. 41

On a 2-1 count, Ohtani crushed a 92 mph pitch from Taj Bradley to right field to bring Miguel Rojas home and give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead over Tampa Bay.

Home run No. 40

With the game on the line, there’s arguably no one better to have at bat than Ohtani. With the bases loaded and two strikes against the 30-year-old in the bottom of the ninth, Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam to beat the Rays 7-3.