Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Closing in on Historic 50-50 Season

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani put the baseball world on 50-50 watch Monday, when he stole three bases against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With 46 stolen bases, 44 home runs, and 24 games to play, the only thing standing between Ohtani and MLB’s first 50-50 season is his health.

At his current pace, Ohtani is set to finish the season with 51 homers and 54 steals.

Fans, writers, managers, coaches, and teammates have been heaping superlatives on Ohtani for so long, there isn’t much left to say.

However, 50-50 watch is unique. Only Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Alfonso Soriano, and Ronald Acuña Jr. have ever reached the 40-40 mark before Ohtani did so on Aug. 24.

Read more: Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Joins 40-40 Club in Dramatic Fashion

Ohtani was asked about the potential for a 50-50 season recently. He told reporters, including Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain, “The most important thing is to contribute to winning the game, and the closer I get to 50/50, the more I’m contributing to the team winning.”

Ohtani is already the inaugural member of the 43-43 club. Chasing that unique threshold wasn’t enough to earn a dedicated segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter at the top of the 6 p.m. ET hour Tuesday — which Ohtani’s 50-50 chase was.

Ohtani is expected to be back in the leadoff spot Tuesday when the Dodgers visit the Angels. It will be the first regular season game Ohtani plays in Anaheim as a member of an opposing team. He spent his first six seasons (2018-23) with the Angels before signing a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last December.

With 50-50 on the line, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used the occasion to insert a little levity in the dialogue Monday.

“I was thinking about giving him an off-day tomorrow,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Phoenix, via MLB.com’s Michael Reynolds. “How would that go? Would that go over OK?”

Will the Angels Recognize Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday?

Ohtani’s first official game back in Anaheim has prompted a question: how will the Angels recognize the occasion?

A better question might be “if.”

Although they already recognized Ohtani prior to the Angels’ home exhibition game against the Dodgers in March, the Angels had no plans to honor Ohtani before Tuesday’s game, according to a new report Tuesday from Sam Blum of The Athletic. A team spokesman noted to Blum that it’s possible that could change.

Ohtani told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on Monday that he’s moved on from pondering questions about what would have happened if the Angels had matched the Dodgers’ contract offer to him last December.

Perhaps the Angels have moved on, as well.