The greatest performance in MLB history

What a day

A day later and I’m still trying to believe what we witnessed yesterday. It was unbelievable watching it live and it’s still unbelievable to think about today. In case you happen to miss yesterday’s Dodgers game…. I’m so sorry.

Now that the dust has settled and we’ve had time to react, I have no problem saying that yesterday was the greatest single-game performance from a player in MLB history. Given the circumstances surrounding everything, yesterday was one of the greatest days in MLB history.

Let’s try and break everything down.

50/50

The biggest thing Shohei Ohtani was chasing was the 50/50 club. No player in MLB history had ever accomplished the feat many thought was impossible. Entering the day, he needed just one more stolen base and two homers. On the broadcast, they joked he could do it on Thursday, but realistically we were all expecting him to do it at Dodger Stadium during the next homestand.

Early in the game, Ohtani stole third base to give him 50 on the season. Still, he had two homers to go. Entering the day, Ohtani had only two games on the season with at least two home runs.

Entering the sixth inning, Ohtani already had three hits but had yet to hit a home run. He crushed a two-run shot to give him 49. Just like that, he was one away. When he stepped into the box for his next at bat, history would be on the line.

The Dodgers offense was feeling it on Thursday, so Ohtani got an at bat an inning later. The Marlins had a chance to intentionally walk Ohtani with first base open. Instead, they opted to pitch to him. On a 1-2 count, Ohtani crushed one 110-mph off the bat the opposite way. The ball landed over the left field fence, giving Ohtani his 50th homer of the season.

In a road stadium, Ohtani got a curtain call. Everyone in the stadium knew they just witnessed history. In his first season in LA, Shohei became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.

Oh, for good measure, he also stole another base earlier in the game and hit another home run in the ninth inning. So technically, he’s now a member of the 51/51 club.

Dodgers single-season records

With his 50th homer, Ohtani officially became the single-season home run leader in Dodgers history. Shawn Green held the record of 49 for 23 years. Personally, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see that record broken. Cody Bellinger came close a couple of years ago, but hitting 50 in today’s game is really difficult.

Not only did Ohtani break Green’s record, he’s likely going to put some distance between Green. With 51 on the season, Ohtani still has nine games to go, including a three-game series in Colorado to close the season. With every homer he hits, the chances will grow even smaller that we ever see this number topped by a Dodger in our lifetime.

That is… until he probably does it again next year!

With his five extra-base hits, Ohtani also set the LA franchise record for most extra-base hits in a season with 92. Freddie Freeman had the previous record with 90, so his time at the top of the leaderboard lasted for less than a season. Sorry Freddie!

The franchise record is 94, which Babe Herman accomplished in 1930 in Brooklyn. Barring an injury or a slump, I think it’s safe to say that Ohtani will break that record as well.

Single game records

I don’t even know where to begin with this, because there are so many records that Shohei Ohtani set on Thursday. For the game, he recorded six hits, drove in 10 runs and stole two bases. He had three home runs, two doubles and a single. The craziest part is that he almost hit for the cycle, but he was thrown out at third trying to stretch a double.

Here are just some of the crazy numbers I was able to find.

• His 10 RBI are the most ever by a Dodgers player in a single game. It’s only the 16th time in MLB history a player has recorded 10+ RBI in a game.

• He’s the first player in MLB history to record 10+ RBI and steal two bases in a game.

• He’s the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs and steal two bases in a game.

• He’s the seventh player ever to record 17 total bases in one game. He joins two other Dodgers on that list in Shawn Green and Gil Hodges. Green holds the MLB record with 19 TB.

• He’s the first player in MLB history to record 17+ total bases and steal two bases in a game.

• His six hits are tied for the most ever by a Dodgers player in a single game. 10 players have accomplished that feat, with Chase Utley being the most recent in 2016.

• He’s the fifth player in MLB history with six hits and two stolen bases in a game.

• His five extra-base hits tie an MLB single-game record. He’s the third Dodgers player to accomplish it and the 15th player in MLB history.

Here’s a fun one from OPTA STATS:

Since RBI became official in 1920, only one MLB player has had, over the course of his entire career (same game or not), a game with 10+ RBI a game with 6+ hits a game with 5+ XBH a game with 3+ HR a game with 2+ SB That one player is Shohei Ohtani. He did all of it today.

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As you can see, this game is up there for one of the best we’ve ever seen. Given the circumstances surrounding everything, I think it is.

• The 50/50 club.

• Dodgers single-season records

• MLB single-game records

We’ve been watching history all season, but what we witnessed yesterday will go down as one of the greatest days in the history of baseball.