It’s “Sho-time” once again — and this time, on baseball’s biggest stage.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have advanced to the World Series after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, completing a dominant four-game sweep. The night belonged entirely to Shohei Ohtani, who delivered one of the most remarkable individual performances in baseball history — hitting three home runs, striking out 10 batters, and earning the win on the mound.
Ohtani, the Japanese two-way superstar who continues to redefine what’s possible in Major League Baseball, threw six shutout innings and dazzled both on the mound and at the plate. Remarkably, while serving as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, Ohtani helped his own cause with home runs in the first, fourth, and seventh innings — the last of which sent his teammates into celebration.
According to MLB statistician Sarah Langs, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs and record at least one strikeout — let alone ten — in the same game. TNT Sports noted he was also the first starting pitcher since 1900 to hit a leadoff home run in any regular or postseason game, and the first since 1900 to hit multiple home runs in a playoff contest.
Even more impressively, it was Ohtani’s first pitching appearance in 13 days, well outside a typical starter’s rhythm. Unsurprisingly, he was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player for his historic outing.
“It was really fun on both sides of the ball today,” Ohtani said through his interpreter as he accepted the MVP trophy. “As a representative, I’m taking this trophy — now let’s go get four more wins.”
Ohtani’s homers weren’t just frequent — they were massive. He opened the game with a 427-foot blast, followed by a 469-foot shot in the fourth inning, and capped the night with a 446-foot moonshot in the seventh.
“We won as a team, and this is truly a team effort,” Ohtani added. “I hope everyone in L.A., Japan, and all over the world can enjoy a really good sake tonight.”
This marks the Dodgers’ fifth National League pennant in the past nine seasons and their 26th World Series appearance in franchise history.
Teammates and fans were left awestruck by Ohtani’s heroics.
“Oh my God. I’m still speechless,” said first baseman Freddie Freeman in a postgame interview with TNT. “Sometimes you have to check that he’s not made of steel. To do what he did on the biggest stage — it’ll go down as The Shohei Ohtani Game.”
Pitcher Clayton Kershaw also praised his teammate’s brilliance.
“We all know about Shohei, but until you actually play with him, you don’t realize he’s on a completely different level,” said the Dodgers veteran, who has been pitching out of the bullpen this postseason.
With the Seattle Mariners leading the Toronto Blue Jays 3–2 in the American League Championship Series, the Dodgers will have to wait to learn who their World Series opponent will be — but whichever team advances will face a powerhouse.
The Dodgers have dropped only one game this postseason, with their pitching staff allowing no more than one run per game since their lone loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series. Their rotation — featuring Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani — has been dominant, and their lineup, headlined by Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernández, remains one of the most feared in baseball.
Manager Dave Roberts addressed the cheering Dodger Stadium crowd after the game:
“Before the season started, people said the Dodgers were ruining baseball,” Roberts said with a grin. “Let’s go get four more wins — and really ruin baseball.”
No team has successfully defended a World Series title since the New York Yankees’ dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when they won three consecutive championships from 1998 to 2000. The Dodgers are the first team since the Philadelphia Phillies in the late 2000s to make it back to the World Series the year after winning it.
Veteran ace Clayton Kershaw, one of the few remaining players from that era, is soaking in every moment of what could be his final postseason run before retirement.
“Just to be part of this team … I’m so happy,” Kershaw said. “This group is incredible — we’re having so much fun, and we’re playing great baseball. Whether I pitch or not, I’m just grateful to be a part of it. It’s so much fun.”
