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Joe Davis had one of the best seats in the house for what may just be the greatest offensive performance in the history of baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season on Thursday — and he did it with a 6-for-6 performance in which he had three homers, two doubles, two stolen bases and 10 RBI.
Davis, the primary play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers, was on the call, but with his busy schedule, he knew there was a decent chance that he actually might miss out on history. Ohtani entered Thursday's game with 48 homers and 49 swiped bags.
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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani watches his two-run home run during the seventh inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Thursday. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
"Selfishly, I was like, ‘he has to do it today.’ I was leaving after the game for NFL… My only chance is he leaves here with 48, they pitch around him this weekend, and I'm back next Tuesday," Davis told "The Rich Eisen Show" on Friday.
However, once Ohtani stole a base in the first inning, Davis knew it was either Thursday or nothing.
But then, Ohtani had what Davis labeled as perhaps "the greatest individual day in baseball history."
"Just unreal. As fun of a day as I've had in my career," he said. "I mean, that’s the thing, we talked about this on the broadcast. He could’ve had this day in mid-May, and it still would’ve been one you could argue is the greatest individual day in baseball history. But he did it to get 50/50, and to punch his first ticket to the postseason — all rolled in one day."
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting his 50th home run of the season during the game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Thursday. (Rhona Wise-Imagn Images)
DODGERS' SHOHEI OHTANI BECOMES FIRST IN MLB HISTORY WITH 50 HOME RUNS, 50 STEALS IN SINGLE SEASON
"He continues to do things that if you were to pitch this as a Hollywood script, it’d get turned away because it’s unbelievable. ‘This stuff doesn’t happen. Nobody’s gonna believe that. It’s a stupid script; too unbelievable.’ And he does this frequently, which is like, there’s no chance something like this happens. He continues to defy the odds in every way," said Davis.
The 2024 season didn't get off to a great start for Ohtani, as he was embroiled in a gambling scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. However, Mizuhara admitted to stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani for gambling purposes, all while Ohtani denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Mizuhara's transgressions.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Thursday. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
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But now, Ohtani is roughly two weeks away from playing in his first postseason game.
Ohtani, a pitcher, is recovering from elbow surgery and has not been on the mound this year, but he still found a way to do things never before seen. He is the heavy favorite to win his third MVP Award (he previously earned the honor in 2021 and 2023 while in the American League). Clearly, that $700 million contract is worth it.
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