CNN
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Shohei Ohtani came close to making MLB history on Wednesday night when he collected his 47th home run and 48th stolen base of the year in his bid to achieve the league’s first 50-50 season.

The two-time AL MVP had a stellar game, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a walk to help the Los Angeles Dodgers avoid a series sweep in a thrilling 10-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Ohtani is currently making history almost every game and has now broken his own personal record for most home runs in a season, after hitting 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021. The Japanese star is now just two shy of tying the Dodgers’ franchise record of 49 home runs hit by Shawn Green in 2001.

The players who have come closest to the 50-50 mark of 50 home runs and 50 steals are Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, who stole 73 bases and hit 41 home runs in 2023. And Alex Rodriguez, who hit 42 home runs and stole 46 bases as a player for the Seattle Mariners in 1998.

“When he hits the ball 118 mph at that speed, it’s usually a double,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to MLB.com. “But for Shohei, it’s a home run. He’s playing great baseball. You can see he’s really pumping us up.”

Ohtani’s teammate, Max Muncy, was equally effusive in his praise. “He’s unbelievable,” the third baseman said, according to MLB.com. “Every night I feel like he’s doing something we’ve never seen before. Tonight he’s hitting a ball 118 (mph). I feel bad for the fan who tried to catch him. Everything he does is so impressive, so it’s fun to be a part of it.”

The Cubs got off to a strong start in their series-winning bid, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. But the Dodgers came back in the first inning with five runs, immediately turning the game on its head.

Ohtani was of course the first up, hitting his home run to center-right field. After two outs, Tommy Edman continued his impressive form with a two-run homer to left field to give the Dodgers the lead.

LA wasn’t done there. Next up was Will Smith, who hit a nearly identical home run to make it 4-2 before Muncy got in the way with a home run of his own.

It’s only the seventh time in Dodgers history that they’ve hit four home runs in an inning. Muncy’s homer makes LA the first team to hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning of multiple games in a season since the Braves in 1994.

Ohtani’s stolen base came in the second inning, then Seiya Suzuki cut the Dodgers’ lead to two runs in the third, but Ohtani’s two-run single made it 7-3.

The Cubs produced an impressive fifth inning with a three-run home run by Cody Bellinger and an RBI single by Pete Crow-Armstrong to tie the score at 7-7. The Dodgers, however, responded with an RBI single by Gavin Lux in the seventh inning and another two-run home run by Edman in the eighth inning to make it two consecutive home runs for the center fielder.

With the score at 10-7, the Cubs were unable to mount a comeback. Isaac Paredes’ sacrifice fly in the ninth inning was the last meaningful play of an excellent game.

Ohtani now has 16 regular-season games left to hit the required three home runs and two stolen bases, starting Friday at the Braves.