Famous firsts in MLB history: Babe Ruth to Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani is on the precipice of becoming the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He's also looking to become the first player in the storied history of the Los Angeles Dodgers to hit 50 home runs in a single campaign.

The two-way star is no stranger to firsts. Ohtani is already the first Japanese-born player in MLB history to hit for the cycle. He'sthe first player to win the MVP award unanimously on two occasions, in 2021 and 2023. Additionally, he made history when he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last winter, the largest contract in baseball history and in North American professional sports history.

While Ohtani continues to build toward the 50/50 club, check out a selection of other notable firsts from MLB history, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:

Sept. 27, 1998

Mark McGwire becomes the first player to hit 70 home runs in a season.

Nov. 13, 1995

Greg Maddux becomes the first player to win four consecutive Cy Young awards.

May 1, 1992

Rickey Henderson becomes the first player to record 1,000 stolen bases in a career.

Aug. 31, 1990

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. are the first father-son duo to play in a game together.

Aug. 22, 1989

Nolan Ryan becomes the first player to reach 5,000 career strikeouts.

Sept. 23, 1988

Jose Canseco becomes the first player to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season.

April 29, 1986

Roger Clemens becomes the first player to record 20 strikeouts in a game.

Nov. 11, 1981

Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first pitcher to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.

Sept. 26, 1981

Nolan Ryan becomes the first player to record five no-hitters in a career (he retired with seven; no other player has more than four).

April 15, 1947

Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play an MLB game in the modern era (since 1900); his number (42) later became the first to be retired across MLB.

July 11, 1941

Joe DiMaggio becomes the first player to have a 50-game hit streak (ended at 56 games, still longest in MLB history).

May 31, 1938

Lou Gehrig becomes the first player to play in 2,000 consecutive games.

Sept. 30, 1927

Babe Ruth becomes the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season.

Aug. 21, 1922

Ken Williams becomes the first player to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season.

July 19, 1910

Cy Young becomes the first pitcher to win 500 career games.

May 30, 1894

Bobby Lowe becomes the first player to have four home runs in a game.

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