MIAMI – The Veuve Clicquot were poured and the commemorative T-shirts passed out. Handiest upcoming, as soon as there were generation for all of it to sink in, may his awestruck teammates totally comprehend the unedited demonstration of greatness by means of Shohei Ohtani.
They marveled now not best at his unedited milestone, changing into the primary participant to clash 50 homers and thieve 50 bases in the similar season. However they spoke with awe about the best way Ohtani reached the 50-50 membership — with a single-game efficiency for the ages.
“That has to be the greatest baseball game of all time,” Gavin Lux stated. “It has to be.”
Ohtani singlehandedly pummeled the Miami Marlins on Thursday. He went 6-for-6, slugged 3 house runs, drove in 10 runs and swiped two bases — in a match that clinched a postseason berth.
“I didn’t even realize he was 6-for-6,” Mookie Betts stated. “What we see is like expected. It’s crazy that he lives up to those types of expectations. But that’s also what makes you speechless.”
And had Ohtani now not gotten thrown out seeking to leg out a triple in his 3rd at-bat, he’d have added his 2d profession cycle, too.
Deny participant in baseball historical past had clash 3 homers and stolen more than one bases in a match, till Ohtani did it on Thursday. Deny participant had gathered extra overall bases (17) in a multi-steal match, smashing the former mark of eleven from the likes of Kirk Gibson and Braggo Roth. Deny participant since a minimum of 1901 had gathered a minimum of 5 hits, clash more than one house runs and stolen more than one bases in the similar match.
Consistent with OptaSTATS, negative participant since 1920 has ever had a 10-RBI age, a six-hit age, a 5 extra-base clash age, a three-homer age, and a multi-steal age inside of their profession. Ohtani stuffed all that manufacturing right into a unmarried Thursday afternoon all the way through a 20-4 thrashing of the Marlins.
Since RBI was legit in 1920, just one MLB participant has had, over the process his whole profession (identical match or now not),
a match with 10+ RBI
a match with 6+ hits
a match with 5+ XBH
a match with 3+ HR
a match with 2+ SBThat one participant is Shohei Ohtani. He did it all lately. pic.twitter.com/njXOmwHKnm
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 20, 2024
So, how did Ohtani’s masterclass rank with the alternative biggest particular person offensive performances of all-time? With such a lot of reliable contenders, it would rely at the parameters.
Absolute best 6-for-6 days ever?
Few can talk with extra authority in this matter than Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts. On Would possibly 23, 2002, in a match in opposition to the Milwaukee Brewers, Roberts watched from the Dodgers dugout as teammate Shawn Inexperienced slugged 4 house runs, a part of a 6-for-6 age.
“Sorry, Shawn,” Roberts stated later Ohtani’s outburst, once more from the Dodgers dugout. “But just in totality I don’t know that I’ve seen anything like this.”
Inexperienced’s 19 overall bases stay an all-time single-game document. Anthony Rendon (April 30, 2017), Edgardo Alfonso (Aug. 30, 1999), Jimmie Foxx (July 10, 1932) and Ty Cobb (Would possibly 5, 1925) all loved 6-for-6 video games – although with fewer overall bases than each Inexperienced and Ohtani.
Shawn Inexperienced blasts his fourth house run on Would possibly 23, 2002. (Tannen Maury/AFP by the use of Getty Photographs)
What about by means of RBIs?
Past Ohtani’s 10 RBIs in opposition to the Marlins had been remarkable, a couple of alternative avid gamers have him beat by means of this measure. Even though now not by means of a lot.
Mark Fade clash 4 house runs and drove in 12 on Sept. 7, 1993. It’s one among 4 video games ever with greater than 10 RBIs from one participant, indistinguishable Jim Bottomley’s 6-for-6, 12-RBI match from Sept. 16, 1924. The one alternative avid gamers who drove in additional runs (11) in a match than Ohtani did on Thursday are Phil Weintraub (April 30, 1944) and Tony Lazerri (Would possibly 24, 1936).
In fact, Ohtani has that crew bested in a technique. None of the ones video games featured more than one stolen bases.
Mark Fade in 1993. (George Gojkovich / Getty Photographs)
Absolute best match ever by means of a chosen hitter?
This name, some distance and away, belongs to Ohtani. Because the American League offered the DH in 1973, best two avid gamers have gathered six hits generation occupying that spot. The primary used to be Kevin Reimer on Aug. 24, 1993 in opposition to Oakland. The second one used to be Ohtani. Regardless of a role description that requires overall center of attention on offense, negative DH had ever logged double-digit runs batted in or gathered greater than 15 overall bases in a match.
“Take the season out of it – today was probably the single best offensive game I’ve ever seen,” Max Muncy stated.
What about all-around video games?
If particular person dominance is the measure, a couple of pitching performances may arise to the extent of perfect match ever. Assume Kerry Timber’s 20-strikeout match, Sandy Koufax’s 14-strikeout very best match, or Max Scherzer’s 17-strikeout no-hitter.
Jim Tobin as soon as threw a whole match at the mound generation hitting 3 house runs on the plate (although he did permit 5 runs that age). Rick Sensible threw a no-hitter on June 23, 1971 – and slugged two house runs himself.
In fact, Ohtani is aware of one thing about dominant two-way performances. In a June 27, 2023 get started in opposition to the White Sox, he struck out 10 generation permitting one run in 6 ⅓ innings, all generation smacking two house runs and going 3-for-4 on the plate.
However even that efficiency would possibly faded compared to what Ohtani authored all the way through Thursday’s show of dominance.
“I’ve never seen anybody do that even in little leagues,” Lux stated. “So it’s crazy that he’s doing that at the highest level.”
(Lead photograph of Shohei Ohtani ripping a double: Chris Arjoon / Getty Photographs)
