Ohtani eclipses 50-homer, 50-stolen base threshold on day to remember against the Marlins
Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani made major-league baseball history against the Marlins at loanDepot park on Thursday, blasting a two-run homer over the left-field wall in the seventh inning to become the first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
Ohtani wasn’t finished.
As an encore to his 391-foot shot off reliever Mike Baumann, two innings later Ohtani crushed a pitch from Vidal Bruján, an infielder who took the mound to start the ninth, 440 feet to right center for a three-run homer. It was his third of the game.
His other spectacular stats in the Dodgers’ 20-4 rout Thursday: 6 for 6, 10 RBI, four runs scored, and two stolen bases — the first of which was his 50th of the season.
“He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He is doing things I’ve never seen done before in the game. And if he has a couple more of these peak years, he might be the best ever to play the game.”
Ohtani’s spectacular performance Thursday occurred where he also led Japan to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship.
“I’ve had perhaps the most memorable moments here in my career and this stadium has become one of my favorite stadiums,” Ohtani said via an interpreter.
Of his historic 50th homer, he said, “Being honest, it was something I wanted to get it over as soon as possible. The balls were being exchanged every time I came up to bat.”
Ohtani, who homered off George Soriano in the sixth, received a huge ovation from the largely pro-Dodgers crowd as he approached the plate in the seventh.
“I was trying not to think about the moment and just treat him like any other at-bat,” Baumann said. “For that situation, you could really feel the crowd there. The adrenaline was definitely there. It was definitely a big moment.”
Ohtani swung and missed on the first pitch from Baumann — an 88-mph knuckle curveball. Three pitches later, Baumann fired an 89-mph knuckle curve to the plate. Ohtani launched that one.
“I wish I was in the stands rather than the dugout seeing it,” Schumaker said. “But I’m proud of the guys that were attacking him and not scared of him. That’s how you should go after it.
“I know Baumann didn’t want the home run to be hit. But [Ohtani] hit it. It was a good day for baseball, bad day for the Marlins.”
“It wasn’t necessarily where I wanted it,” Baumann said, “but he put a really good swing on it. That’s my best pitch. I’d throw it again. I tip my cap. It was a really good piece of hitting.”
The Dodgers led 12-3 when Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box. Schumaker said he didn’t consider intentionally walking Ohtani.
“Down that many runs, that’s a bad move karma wise, baseball god wise,” Schumaker said. “You go after him to see if you can get him out. I think out of respect for the game, we were going to go after him.”
Said Baumann: “I wanted to stay aggressive.”
Ohtani led off the game with a double off the wall in right center, and then swiped third on the front end of a double steal with Freddie Freeman. He stole his 51st base after singling the next inning.
Marlins’ starting pitcher Edward Cabrera limited the Dodgers’ damage to one run each of the first two innings, but he lost his command in the third. He was pulled after surrendering three straight walks, including two with the bases loaded.
The Dodgers scored five runs in the inning on two hits. Cabrera allowed seven earned runs in his 2 1/3 innings pitched, his shortest start since May 7 when he pitched two innings against the Dodgers in California. He was placed on the injured list with right shoulder impingement the following day.
Cabrera didn’t allow an earned run in 13 innings combined in his previous two starts before Thursday.
“My pitches were not landing where I wanted them to land,” said Cabrera, via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr., of his outing Thursday. “I was completely out of the zone.”
Griffin Conine provided a few electrifying moments for the Marlins with his glove and bat.
The rookie right fielder made a stellar diving catch in the second inning and another one in the fourth, after which he fired a strike to second to double off Mookie Betts. In the fifth, Conine smacked a two-run homer off Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty. It was the Marlins’ third hit to that point.
Jake Burger and Nick Fortes also homered for the Marlins.
▪ Bruján and outfielder Derek Hill returned from rehab and were reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Hill had been sidelined with a left shoulder impingement, Bruján with a right shoulder AC joint sprain.
▪ Outfielder David Hensley was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville and infielder José Devers was designated for assignment.
▪ The Marlins have a chance to play spoiler the next six games with series at home against the Braves and away against the Twins — two teams contending for a Wild Card spot.
