In his 7th year in the major leagues, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He’s also the first player in the storied history of the Los Angeles Dodgers to hit 50 home runs in a single campaign.
The two-way star is no stranger to firsts. Ohtani is already the first Japanese-born player in MLB history to hit for the cycle. He’s the first player to win the MVP award unanimously on two occasions, in 2021 and 2023. Additionally, he made history when he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last winter, the largest contract in baseball history and in North American professional sports history.
Check out a selection of other notable firsts from MLB history, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:
Sept. 19, 2024
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first player to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
Sept. 27, 1998
Mark McGwire becomes the first player to hit 70 home runs in a season.
Nov. 13, 1995
Greg Maddux becomes the first player to win four consecutive Cy Young awards.
May 1, 1992
Rickey Henderson becomes the first player to record 1,000 stolen bases in a career.
Aug. 31, 1990
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. are the first father-son duo to play in a game together.
Aug. 22, 1989
Nolan Ryan becomes the first player to reach 5,000 career strikeouts.
Sept. 23, 1988
Jose Canseco becomes the first player to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season.
April 29, 1986
Roger Clemens becomes the first player to record 20 strikeouts in a game.
Nov. 11, 1981
Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first pitcher to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
Sept. 26, 1981
Nolan Ryan becomes the first player to record five no-hitters in a career (he retired with seven; no other player has more than four).
April 15, 1947
Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play an MLB game in the modern era (since 1900); his number (42) later became the first to be retired across MLB.
July 11, 1941
Joe DiMaggio becomes the first player to have a 50-game hit streak (ended at 56 games, still longest in MLB history).
May 31, 1938
Lou Gehrig becomes the first player to play in 2,000 consecutive games.
Sept. 30, 1927
Babe Ruth becomes the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season.
Aug. 21, 1922
Ken Williams becomes the first player to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season.
July 19, 1910
Cy Young becomes the first pitcher to win 500 career games.
May 30, 1894
Bobby Lowe becomes the first player to have four home runs in a game.
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