Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani makes baseball history

Player becomes first in MLB to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani has made Major League Baseball (MLB) history by becoming the first player in the league’s history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Ohtani made three home runs and lifted his tally of steals to 51 in the Dodgers’ 20-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

The win sent the Dodgers into the playoffs, a first for Ohtani.

“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” the Japanese player said through a translator of his spectacular performance. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad I performed well today.”

It has been an eventful year for Ohtani who joined the Dodgers in December on a 10-year, $700m contract after spending six seasons with the crosstown rival Angels.

He is not pitching this season as he recovers from reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow and has also endured a scandal in which his former friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from him to repay sports gambling debts.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, addressing his players in the clubhouse as they celebrated the victory, noted the achievement.

“This is a game that has been played for over 200 years,” Roberts said. “And this is something that has never been done.”

Ohtani, 30, tried to keep the focus on the team.

“I’m glad that the team won,” he said, admitting that with so much attention focused on his 50-50 pursuit, it “was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible.

“It’s something that I’m going to cherish for a very long time.”

Earlier this season, Ohtani became the MLB’s all-time leader in home runs among Japanese-born players when he surpassed the 175 of Hideki Matsui with 222 home runs over the course of his career.