Shohei Ohtani receives standing ovation after reaching 50-50, HRs again for good measure

Shohei Ohtani returned to Dodger Stadium as a conquering hero Friday after clinching the first 50-50 season in MLB history. And then he kept doing what he does best.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star homered yet again against the Colorado Rockies, increasing his season total to 52 with eight games left to play. Facing Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, Ohtani worked the count full then took a pitch at his armpits to deep center field.

There are not many hitters who could take a pitch that high and send it 423 feet the other way.

The long ball made Ohtani 8 for his last 9 with four homers, two doubles, two steals, five runs and 12 RBI. Most of that production came Thursday, when Ohtani reached 50-50 not just in style, but with one of the greatest offensive games in MLB history.

Ohtani hit his 49th, 50th and 51st homers of the season and stole his 50th and 51st base of the season all in the same game, combining an unprecedented season-long accomplishment with the 16th 10-RBI game in MLB history. It was also the first three-homer, two steal game in MLB history, all on the anniversary of his I-can't-believe-it's-not-Tommy-John surgery (Ohtani received an internal brace on his UCL on Sept. 19, 2023).

The only drawback of the magical night was that it was on the road, even though Ohtani still received a curtain call at loanDepot Park. Dodgers fans did their best to make up for it by giving him a standing ovation before his first at-bat, which earned a wave from Ohtani.

Ohtani might have reached 50-50, but it still remains to be seen how far into uncharted territory he can venture in homers and steals. There's also the matter of the playoffs.

The Dodgers clinched the playoffs Thursday, but entered Friday with a four-game lead on the San Diego Padres for the NL West title. Wherever they end up in Ohtani's first postseason, they'll also have to overcome a spate of pitching injuries if they want to get Ohtani a ring.