Shohei Ohtani Joins 50/50 Club & Dodgers Top Marlins

     Shohei Ohtani because the first player in Major League Baseball history to collect 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season and entered the 50/50 club. The Los Angeles Dodgers dismantled the Miami Marlins 20-4 on Thursday at loanDepot park. Ohtani also did something else nobody has done before. He had three home runs, two stolen bases, two doubles, 10 runs batted in and six hits in one MLB contest. 

     The Dodgers, who clinched their 12th straight postseason berth, have won four of their last five games. The Marlins have lost five of their past six contests. The Marlins will host the Atlanta Braves to begin a three-game series starting tomorrow. The Dodgers fly home to face the Colorado Rockies on Friday. 

     Los Angeles(91-52) climbed out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Ohtani led off the game with a double off the top of the right-center field wall and he would get his 50th stolen base three batters later. He then scored on a Will Smith sacrifice fly to right field. 

     The Dodgers increased it to 2-0 in the top of the second. Ohtani knocked in Max Muncy with a base hit into right field. 

     Miami(56-97) cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second. Jake Burger blasted a solo home run to left-center field on a 1-2 pitch for his 27th homer of the season. 

     In the third inning, Los Angeles added five more runs for a 7-1 advantage. Gavin Lux walked with the base loaded and Smith crossed the plate. Andy Pages came up next with a walk to score Tommy Edman. Chris Taylor followed with a sacrifice fly into right field which scored Muncy. One batter later, Ohtani knocked in Lux and Pages on a double into the left-center field gap. 

     The Marlins picked up two runs during the bottom of the fifth and were down 7-3. Griffin Conine lifted a two-run homer to right field on a 0-1 count with Otto Lopez aboard. It was Conine's third home run of his career. 

     The Dodgers expanded their lead to 9-2 in the top of the sixth. Ohtani clobbered a two-run home run into the upper deck in right-center field for his 49th home run of the 2024 season. He tied a Major League Baseball single-season record held by Rickey Henderson with at least one home run and one stolen base in the same game for the 13th time. 

     It became 14-3 for Los Angeles in the top of the seventh. Pages drove in Edman and Muncy with a double into the left-field corner. Lux would eventually score on wild pitch. 

     Ohtani came to the plate with Lux on third and Pages on second. He powered a three-run homer over the left-field fence on a 1-2 pitch for his 50th home run of the season to join the 50/50 club. He set a Dodgers franchise record with the most home runs in a season passing Shawn Green who had 49 homers in 2001. 

     The Dodgers made it a 17-run margin 20-3 in the top of the ninth. Ohtani crushed a three-run homer on a 2-0 count into the right-field upper deck for his third home run in the contest and 51st homer of the year. Muncy and Taylor were able to score in front of him. 

     Four batters later, Edman singled up the middle with the bases loaded and Kevin Kiermaier along with Kiki Hernandez scored. Muncy followed with a base hit into center field and Hunter Feduccia touched home. 

     The Fish added one run in the bottom of the ninth and trailed 20-4. Nick Fortes lined a solo home run to left field on the first pitch for his fourth home run of the campaign.