Shohei Ohtani stole his 47th base of the season on Monday night to take him one step closer to a historic 50-50 season as the Los Angeles Dodgers lost 10-4 to the Chicago Cubs.
Having racked up his 46th home run of the campaign on Sunday, the two-time AL MVP is now just three steals and four homers away from becoming the first player in MLB history to register 50 of each in a single season.
Ohtani has found new ways to impress since he was ruled out of pitching until 2025. His steal on Monday means he is now just five more stolen bases away from doubling his previous best tally: the 26 he managed in 2021.
The Japanese star has not slowed down since joining the 40-40 club in August, where his name sits alongside Alfonso Soriano, Jose Canseco, Ronald Acuña Jr., Barry Bonds, and previous all-time record holder Alex Rodriguez, who managed 43-43 while with the Seattle Mariners in 1998.
Despite moving closer to making history, Ohtani was not the only storyline on Monday night. In fact, it was the performances of two former Dodgers, Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch, which decided the game.
The Cubs wasted no time, opening up a three-run lead in the top of the first when Bellinger hit a two-run homer off the first pitch he faced, while Busch followed up shortly after with an RBI single to right field.
With Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks keen to avoid Ohtani’s 47th home run of the season, he walked the Japanese star in the bottom of the third, and Ohtani promptly stole second with ease.
Ohtani hitting a single in the fifth inning. Mark J. Terrill/AP
But Busch would come to Hendricks’ aid at the bottom of the third, catching Max Muncy’s line drive to first to end the inning with the bases loaded, before hitting a solo homer in the top of the fourth, extending the Cubs’ lead to four.
After the Dodgers halved the deficit in the fifth, the Cubs responded an inning later when Busch’s RBI single brought home Bellinger, and catcher Miguel Amaya batted in two more.
An impressive return to LA for Bellinger was completed with an RBI single in the top of the ninth, followed by an excellent diving catch to kick off the bottom.
Ohtani has 18 regular-season games remaining to pick up the three steals and four home runs needed to hit the 50-50 mark, starting with another game against the Cubs on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
