Shohei Ohtani's honest admission about 50-50 chase after bonkers Dodgers' win

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Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers, including LeBron James, could only wish for days like these to last forever. However, All-Star Shohei Ohtani sounded less enthused about the historic 50-50 chase that is now complete. The Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 20-4 and Ohtani finally gets to focus on the MLB Playoffs for the first time in seven years, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

"I wanted to get (the 50-50 chase) over (with)," Shohei Ohtani said through an interpreter.

Reaching the 50 home runs, 50 stolen bases milestone was always going to be memorable, especially for those in attendance. But Ohtani didn’t stop there, producing arguably the greatest regular season game in MLB history to top off the day. The odds on favorite to win the NL MVP went perfect at the plate (6-of-6) with three home runs, two doubles, a single, 10 RBIs, four runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Manager Dave Roberts saw a fireworks show like this coming, via the Los Angeles Times.

"I think he wants to be the best player that's ever played this game," Roberts explained. "And one way to do that is to do something nobody has ever done."

Consider it mission accomplished with the 30-year-old having arguably the most-productive offensive season of what will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame career. The two-time American League MVP leads the NL in home runs, slugging (.629), OPS (1.005), and adjusted OPS (173). Even Jose Canseco had to give Ohtani credit for opening up a new chapter in the MLB record books.

The only downside is the home fans have little to look forward to over the next week now that a postseason spot is wrapped up. Ohtani, also a Cy Young-caliber talent, might even take the mound in the playoffs…or at least the option has not been completely ruled out.

Dodgers wowed by Shohei Ohtani’s power

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Ohtani entered the game sitting on 48 homers and 49 stolen bases but did not keep the fans waiting. The crowd could barely sit down before Ohtani’s next highlight. First, it was a leadoff double which led to a swiping of third base. A few pitches later Ohtani crossed the plate for the 1-0 lead. The next trip to up resulted in an RBI single. Ohtani was standing on second base with 51 steals within a minute.
But it’s all about the long ball in today’s era. Home run 49 came in the sixth inning. Ohtani sent an 0-1 slider 430 feet over the right field fence for a 9-3 lead. Fans on the opposite side of the field got a shot at catching the 50th dinger one inning later. Miami practically gave up at that point with infielder Vidal Bruján pitching the ninth inning.
Ohtani was due up fifth. Max Muncy and Chris Taylor reached base. Bruján’s best stuff, a sub 70-mph fastball, was crushed into the second deck. It was the third specially marked baseball to reach the bleachers and will surely fetch a premium price should they ever hit the open market.

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