Photo: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Two days ago (September 19), Dodgers’ DH Shohei Ohtani established himself as an MLB “unicorn” or perhaps simply as “The GOAT.” In a Dodgers’ 20-4 win over the Marlins, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to collect 50 or more home runs and 50 or more stolen bases in a single season. And, he did it in grand fashion. In the game, he went six-for-six – with three home runs (49, 50, 51 on the season), two doubles, and a single. He also scored four times, drove in ten runs and stole two bases (50 and 51 on the season).
What kind of day was that?
- His six hits tied for the second-most ever in a nine-inning game;
- His five extra-base hits tied for the most in a game of any length;
- His ten RBI tied for the fifth-most in a nine-inning game; and
- His 17 total bases tie for the 17th most in a nine-inning game.
OptaSTATS made an even stronger case, noting that since 1920 (when RBI became an official stat), Ohtani is the only player whose career has included all of these: a ten- (or more) RBI game; a six- (or more) hit game; a five- (or more) extra-base hit game; a three- (or more) home run game; and a multiple stolen base game. And, he did it all in one game!
And, let’s not forget, this is a player who, in 2022, went 15-9, 2.33 on the mound and fanned 219 batters in 166 innings. (That season, he went .273-34-95 at the plate, with 11 steals.)
But enough of Ohtani, there will be plenty more to write about him as his career goes on. Let’s look at the first MLB 40-40, 30-30 and 20-20 seasons.
First 40-40 Season … Joe Cansec0, 1988 A’s.
In 1988, A’s 23-year-old RF Jose Canseco notched MLB’s first 40-40 season – going .307-42-124, with 120 runs and 40 stolen bases. He led the AL in home runs and RBI and earned the AL MVP Award. That season, Canseco set what would prove to be his career highs in runs; hits (187); RBI; steals; walks (78); average (.307); and total bases (347).
Conseco would be the only 40-40 player until 1996, when Barry Bonds joined ”the club.” Alex Rodriguez joined in 1998, Alfonso Soriano in 2006 and Ronald Acuna, Jr. in 2023.
To date, only six players have recorded a 40-40 season (including Ohtani this year) and no player has logged more than one 40-40 campaign.
In his 1988 40-40 season Canseco had two multi-home run games and three multi-stolen base games. Canseco’s power numbers may have been dimmed a bit by the Oakland Coliseum (not considered a hitters’ park). Canseco hit .313-16-59, with 19 steals in 79 home games and .301-26-65, with 21 steals on the road.
Over his career, Canseco had three 40+ home run seasons, but just the one 40-stolen base campaign. Canseco played in 17 MLB seasons (1985-2001 … A’s, Rangers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees, White Sox). He was a six-time All Star, twice led the league in home runs (hitting 30 or more eight times) and led the league in RBI once (driving in 100+ in six seasons). His career stat line is .266-462-1,407, with 1,186 runs scored and 200 steals. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1986, when he hit .240-33-117.
First 30-30 Season … Ken Williams, Browns, 1922
Photo: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Browns’ outfielder Ken Williams was a MLB “unicorn” for more than three decades – from 1922 to 1956, he was the only player in MLB history to record a 30-home run/30-steal campaign. In 1922, Williams hit .332-39-155, with 37 steals and 128 runs scored for the Browns. The next player to run and hit his way into the 30-30 Club was William Mays in 1956.
In 1922, Williams set his career highs for runs; hits (198); home runs; RBI (155); steals; and total bases (367). He led the AL in homers, RBI and total bases.
Unlike Canseco (above, Williams had reasons to like “home cooking.” Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis was known as a hitters’ park (particularly for lefties – Williams hit from the port side). In his 30-30 season, Williams hit .373-32-102, with 18 steals at home and .290-7-56, with 18 steals on the road. For his career, Williams hit .340 with 138 home runs in 589 games Sportsman’s Park and .304, with 58 long balls in 809 games at other MLB ballparks.
Williams played 14 MLB seasons (1915-16, 1918-29 … Reds, Browns, Red Sox), hitting .319-196-916, with 860 runs scored and 154 stolen bases. He had just one 30+-homer season and just one 30+-steal season. He hit .300 or better in ten seasons, drove in 100+ runs in four seasons and scored 100+ runs in three.
Ken Williams Tidbits
In his 1922 30-30 season, Ken Williams became the first American Leaguer to hit three home runs in a game (April 22) and the first Modern Era player to hit 20 or more home runs in a season and have fewer strikeouts than homers. (37 homes/31 strikeouts).
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To date, there have been 72 30-30 seasons (this includes the 40-40 and 50-50 campaigns), recorded by 47 different players. Eleven of those seasons belong to the Bonds family (Bobby Bonds – six and Barry Bonds – five) … first- and second-most seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals. This season three players have already eclipsed the 30-30 mark: Ohtani; the Guardians’ Jose Ramirez; and the Royals’ Bobby Witt, Jr. The most players to reach the30-30 mark in any season is four (2023, 2011,1997,1996,1987.) 
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First 20-20 Season*
Okay, this one needs an asterisk. Stolen bases first began being tracked in 1886. Prior to that season, there were four player seasons of twenty or more home runs (all in 1884): Cap Anson; Abner Dalrymple; Fred Pfeffer; and Ed Williamson. All four of these players notched 20+ stolen base seasons once tracking began, so it is likely one of them may have turned in the first 20-20 season. So, in this case we are looking at the first recorded 20-20 season.
Sam Thompson, Phillies, 1889
Photo: Tomlinson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Common
In 1899, Phillies’ RF Sam Thompson delivered the first recorded 20-20 season – going .296-20-111, with 116 runs scored and 24 steals. His 20 home runs led the NL. It would be ten years before MLB’s next 20-20 season and from 1889 through 1950 there would be only nine player seasons of at least 20 home runs and at least 20 steals in MLB – five in the National League, two in the American League and two in the Negro National League.
Hall of Famer Thompson played in 15 MLB seasons (1885-1898 … Detroit Wolverines, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers). He hit .331-126-1,308, with 1,261 runs scored and 232 steals. Thompson won one batting title, led the league in RBI three times (eight seasons of at least 100 RBI), led the league in hits three times (three seasons of 200+ hits); doubles twice; triples once and total bases twice. He had just one season of 20 home runs, but seven seasons of 20 or more steals.
Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com
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