Shohei Ohtani Seeks Admission to the 50-50 Club. He’ll Be the Only Member.

Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is chasing an unprecedented 50-50 season — and potentially a third consecutive MVP award.

Entering his sixth season in the Major Leagues, Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani is not only looking to build off a historic 2022 campaign, but also become the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

The only other player to come close to reaching Ohtani's current pace was Barry Bonds. In 1996, Bonds hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases. Ohtani, a two-way force, has been able to come close to these totals in each of his last four seasons while spending significant time on the mound.

In 158 career games on the mound, Ohtani has recorded a 4.47 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 269 strikeouts in 166.2 innings pitched. At the plate, he has slashed .285/.372/.592 with 104 home runs and 266 RBIs in 561 games.

It's truly unprecedented what Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is trying to accomplish. Historically, players simply haven’t been able to balance the incredible workloads required to reach these milestones.

Since 1901, only two players have recorded 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season. Alex Rodriguez did it in 1998 with the Seattle Mariners and Alfonso Soriano did it with the Washington Nationals in 2006.

Ohtani and the Angels open their season on the road against the Oakland Athletics on March 30, 2023.