Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th homer of the season, a towering three-run shot, after stealing his 57th base earlier in the game and the NL West-champion Los Angeles Dodgers powered past the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Friday night.

The Dodgers designated hitter finished 4 of 5, which also included a pair of singles and a double, and drove in four runs. He now has 24 hits over his last 34 at-bats.

Ohtani is making a serious charge at a Triple Crown, leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). He raised his average to .309 to trail only Luis Arráez (.312 entering Friday) in the batting title race.

With his swipe of second base in the second inning, Ohtani passed Ichiro Suzuki for the most stolen bases in a single season by a Japanese-born player. Ohtani was wearing spikes featuring a picture of his dog, Decoy.

FIFTY-SEVEN STOLEN BASES!

Shohei Ohtani sets the single-season record by a Japanese-born player, surpassing Ichiro’s 56. pic.twitter.com/W6vLy56Oh8

— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2024

Ohtani’s three-run blast in the sixth inning landed in the second deck at Coors Field. It was a no-doubter at the crack of the bat, with the sellout crowd instantly erupting, an early show before the fireworks display that awaited after the game.

GUESS WHO…

SHOHEI HAS NO. 54. pic.twitter.com/IqEieFa1jV

— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2024

His 408 total bases this season are second-most in franchise history. Babe Herman set the record of 416 in 1930.

Teoscar Hernández got things started for Los Angeles with a two-run homer in the first.

A moonshot from Teoscar! pic.twitter.com/3j6p2qYOwc

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 28, 2024

Andy Pages also homered for the Dodgers, who arrived in town fresh off clinching their third straight division title Thursday. The Dodgers moved two games up on the Philadelphia Phillies for the top seed in the NL.

¿Par de juegos consecutivos con cuadrangular? Andy sigue con el bate encendido. pic.twitter.com/4xZ9LWZmm5

— Los Dodgers (@LosDodgers) September 28, 2024

Ben Casparius (2-0) picked up the win for Los Angeles, going 4 1/3 innings, in a game where the Dodgers started reliever Ryan Brasier.

Cal Quantrill (8-11) struggled against the Dodgers’ potent lineup, allowing six runs and two homers over 3 1/3 innings.

The Rockies have now dropped 99 games this season. At 61-99, they need to win their final two games to avoid back-to-back 100-loss seasons.

It was a fortunate coincidence the second-base bag needed to be replaced as Charlie Blackmon stepped up to the plate in the first inning. The switch allowed his walk-up song “Your Love” by The Outfield to play a little bit longer. The designated hitter/outfielder known for his bushy beard announced Monday he’s retiring after 14 seasons — all with the Rockies.

The organization will honor him before Sunday’s season finale. Blackmon had a single and two walks Friday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: 1B Freddie Freeman didn’t make the trip to Colorado so he could rest a sore ankle. Freeman was on crutches and in a walking boot after leaving Thursday’s game. The Dodgers also left SS Miguel Rojas at home due to a torn adductor.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers will send righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-2, 2.96 ERA) to the mound Saturday night. The Rockies counter with righty Antonio Senzatela (0-0, 3.38).

Safety and sanitation improvements are headed to a popular park in South LA after community members say they have been asking city leaders to make needed changes.

The South LA Wetlands Park is north of Slauson Avenue between San Pedro Street and Avalon Boulevard, just east of the 110 Freeway.

More than 500 people signed a petition circulating online asking officials to install proper restrooms at the park, enhance security measures and improve the quality of the water of the wetlands for the animals.

Victor Vasquez, who organized the petition, said the park has been neglected for many years.

“When it opened, it was a new green space in the inner city, something that’s rare to come by,” said Vasquez.

Adriana Cabrera, the president of the Central Alameda Neighborhood Council, wrote a letter to Mayor Karen Bass’ office as well.

“A lot of us struggle with health problems because we don’t have access to green spaces,” said Cabrera. ” We don’t even have safe spaces where we can walk our dogs.”

Another big concern for community members is lighting. People were spotted at a local South LA park participating in recreational activities in complete darkness.

There is also a large, abandoned building on the park property. City Councilmember Curren Price’s office says the structure was once a bus yard with “historical significance.” A spokesperson says it is one of the oldest tilt-up buildings in the city and has asbestos inside.

The Office of Councilmember Price and the Department of Recreation and Parks are now being tasked to create a master plan for the wetlands, including the old structure.

A teen has filed a lawsuit in Florida crying foul over ownership of the baseball that Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit for his historic 50th home run of the season.

Eighteen-year-old Max Matus’ lawsuit filed this week seeks to prevent the sale of the baseball, which was scheduled to go up for auction. The lawsuit claims Matus is the rightful owner of the ball that sparked a scrum Sept. 19 when it rocketed off the bat of Ohtani and landed behind the outfield wall at loanDepot Park in Miami.

The home run made Ohtani the only player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. Bids for the high-value baseball were set by the Goldin Auctions to start at $500,000 with an option to buy outright for an astounding $4.5 million.

Matus, a Broward County, Florida, resident, filed for an injunction preventing Goldin and two Florida residents from “transferring, encumbering, selling, or concealing the 50/50 Ball.” He’s also seeking compensatory damages for what transpired during the Dodgers-Marlins game, which he attended with his father on his 18th birthday, according to the lawsuit.

Matus was in the left-center field crowd when Ohtani’s second of three home runs in a game for the ages cleared the wall, the lawsuit said. Matus claimed he grabbed the ball, “successfully obtaining possession” of what would become a valuable piece of sports memorabilia, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges the ball was forcefully taken away by a “muscular, older man” identified as a defendant.

“Indeed, Max successfully grabbed the 50/50 Ball in his left hand and intended to keep it,” according to the lawsuit. “Unfortunately, a few seconds later… a muscular, older man – trapped Plaintiff’s arm in between his legs and wrangled the 50/50 Ball out of Max’s left hand. In so doing, (the defendant) wrongfully and forcefully obtained control of the ball and was escorted out of the stands by security.”

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and have 50 stolen bases in a single season.

In a statement to ESPN, Goldin Auctions said it’s aware of the lawsuit.

“We are aware of the case that has been filed,” Goldin Auctions said in the statement. “Having reviewed the allegations and images included in the lawsuit, and publicly available video from the game, Goldin plans to go live with the auction of the Ohtani 50/50 ball.”

The 50-50 home run ball auction began Friday morning. If bids reach $3 million before Oct. 9, the private purchase option will be off the table and bidders can compete, which could drive of the value of the historic piece of sports memorabilia. Extended bidding will begin Oct. 16.

The next hearing for the Matus lawsuit was scheduled for Oct. 10.

The home run was the highlight of what’s widely considered one of the greatest single-game performances of all time. Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three home runs, two doubles and a staggering 10 RBI in a Dodgers rout.