Shohei Ohtani becomes 6th MLB player to post back-to-back 50-HR seasons, after throwing 5 no-hit innings


Shohei Ohtani added yet another item to an already unprecedented résumé on Tuesday.

With a solo homer in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers star became the sixth player in MLB history to post 50 homers in back-to-back seasons. He had 54 long balls last season, which was also the first 50-homer, 50-stolen base season ever.

Advertisement

Naturally, Ohtani hit this homer after throwing five no-hit innings earlier in the game.

The other five players to post consecutive 50-homer seasons: Babe Ruth (1920-21), Mark McGwire (1996-99), Ken Griffey Jr. (1997-98), Sammy Sosa (1998-2001) and Alex Rodriguez (2001-02). Obviously, McGwire and Sosa later had their runs tainted by steroids, while Rodriguez had his own PED scandal later in his career.

Ohtani also joins Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber in the 50-homer club this season, making 2025 the third season ever to see three players hit 50 homers. The other two were 1998 and 2001, which both had four players. Again, this is the first time it’s happened without the influence of steroids.

Advertisement

This homer is the latest in Ohtani’s push for a fourth MVP award and his second in the NL. If he pulls it off, he would join Barry Bonds as the only player to win it more than four times (Bonds won it seven times) and he would be the first player to ever win the award in both leagues multiple times.

Since joining the Dodgers, Ohtani’s bat has been better than even his prime with the Angels, in which he won MVP awards in 2021 and 2023 and finished as runner-up in 2022 (Aaron Judge’s 62-homer season). His return as a pitcher is a work in progress — the Dodgers are still limiting him to a maximum of five innings per start — but it goes without saying he has so far delivered on his record-shattering $700 million contract.

At age 31, Ohtani already has a list of accomplishments unprecedented in baseball, to the point that two seasons with 50 homers is just another fact in the pile.



#Shohei #Ohtani #6th #MLB #player #post #backtoback #50HR #seasons #throwing #nohit #innings

Related Posts

NEOM SC’s French connection brings distinct flavour to Tabuk

If, in recent weeks, you were wandering the streets of Tabuk, in the far north-west of Saudi Arabia, you may have noticed an increasingly Gallic presence around town, the French…

Ryder Cup 2025: Nicolas Colsaerts ‘disappointed’ to miss out on vice-captain role but gives backing to Luke Donald and Team Europe at Bethpage Black | Golf News

Nicolas Colsaerts has given his full backing to Luke Donald and his European Ryder Cup team, despite being left ‘disappointed’ by not being selected as a vice-captain for this year’s…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *