Shohei Ohtani’s statement game of the season came on Thursday, going an unbelievable 6-6 with three home runs, 10 RBI, four runs scored, two doubles, and two walks in an unmerciful 20-4 romp of the Miami Marlins.
His first stolen base and second home run of the day officially put Ohtani in a class of his own— the 50-50 club. Ohtani became the first Dodger to have a 10 RBI day, the first Dodger to hit three home runs in a six hit day, and the first ever Dodger to hit 50 home runs as well.
All this while the Dodgers clinched their twelfth consecutive postseason berth.
Let’s take a look at the reactions to arguably the greatest single game performance in baseball history.
A message from Shawn Green, the previous single season home run record holder in franchise history whose record was snapped after 23 years.
A special message from Shawn Green. pic.twitter.com/1NcdZcm5zg
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 20, 2024
Green elaborated further on how impressive a season Ohtani has had this year, noting that there are no negative feelings towards Ohtani breaking his franchise record for most home runs in a single season, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
“If you’re gonna lose a record, you want it to be to a great player, and he’s the greatest player who has ever lived,” Green said of Ohtani… “To get to 50-50, that’s not a Dodgers thing, that’s an unprecedented Major League Baseball milestone. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how amazing he’s been throughout his career, but especially this first season with the Dodgers, with all the pressure coming over. It’s really mind-boggling what he’s been able to do.”
Max Muncy referred to Ohtani’s outing on Sunday as the greatest single game offensive performance he’s ever witnessed, regardless of the season he’s been having, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“Take the season out of it – today was probably the single best offensive game I’ve ever seen,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “What did he have – six hits, 10 RBIs, three home runs? And don’t forget he had two or three stolen bases today also – yeah, why not? That’s insane.”
Gavin Lux referred to Ohtani’s performance as the greatest baseball game of all time, per Plunkett.
“That has to be the greatest baseball game of all time. It has to be,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux said. “There’s no way. It’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen anybody do that even in little league, so it’s crazy that he’s doing that at the highest level.”
Dave Roberts during his decade long playing career was fortunate enough to play against all-time greats such as Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguz, Ken Griffey Jr.
Still, Ohtani continues to leave his manager starstruck and proud when describing how amazing it’s been to watch him play this year, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
“This game has been around for a long time, and to do something that’s never been done — he’s one of one,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know that I’ve seen anything like this.”
Ohtani received praise from the entire sports world, as Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Philadelphia 76ers MVP center Joel Embiid tweeted their reactions to his performance on Thursday, with Embiid referring to Ohtani as the “GOAT.”
THIS GUY IS UNREAL!!!! WOWZERS https://t.co/2IyMP8xf7A
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 20, 2024
Yup Ohtani is the GOAT
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 19, 2024
Even Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes chimed in to express how remarkable of a performance Ohtani had.
Insane!!! https://t.co/zCwyNHo9T7
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) September 19, 2024
Sarah Langs of MLB.com delved into just how extraordinarily amazing Ohtani’s performance on Thursday was, providing 11 facts on his historic game.
Down by nine runs before Ohtani’s 50th home run, the Marlins could’ve easily intentionally walked Ohtani to prevent him from reaching his unprecedented feat, however manager Skip Schumacher opted to pitch to him, attributing his decision to relatively superstitious concerns while also praising Ohtani as the greatest talent he’s ever seen.
“That’s a bad move, baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball-gods-wise. You go after him and see if you can get him out.”
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker explains why they didn’t walk Ohtani and what it was like to watch the historic performance tonight. pic.twitter.com/VhmZvLvmnD
— Bally Sports Florida: Marlins (@BallyMarlins) September 20, 2024
Lastly, Ohtani, himself, remarked on his relief for having become the first major league player in history to reach the 50-50 mark, while also displaying respect for all the baseball giants that came before him, per Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider.
“Just happy, relieved and very respectful to the peers and everyody who came before who played the sport of baseball,” Ohtani said.