In one of the most astonishing performances in Major League Baseball postseason history, Shohei Ohtani delivered a two-way master class to send the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series. On Friday night, Ohtani smashed three home runs and pitched six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, leading the Dodgers to a 5-1 victory in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. The win completed a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers and secured the Dodgers’ second consecutive NL pennant.
From the first pitch to his final swing, Ohtani was immovable. On the mound, he allowed just two hits, walked three, and struck out ten. Then, at the plate, he launched his first homer in the first inning to put the Dodgers ahead, followed by blasts in the fourth and seventh. The three-homer, 10-K performance had never before occurred in MLB regular or postseason play no player in history had hit multiple home runs in a game they also started as pitcher.
The magnitude of the feat cannot be overstated. Ohtani became the only person ever to combine three homers as a hitter with double-digit strikeouts as a pitcher in the same game. His display drew immediate comparison to the greatest single-game efforts ever witnessed. Teammates, opponents, and analysts alike called it unprecedented. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described it as “probably the greatest postseason performance of all time.”
The game started with fire. Ohtani stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first and belted a home run for a 1-0 lead. Two outs later, he struck out the side on the mound. That was just the opening salvo. In the fourth inning, he unleashed a 469-foot shot over the left-field roof. In the seventh, after returning to bat under the “Ohtani Rule” which allows his continued hitting role even after leaving the mound, he crushed a third homer, sealing the moment.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ pitching arms combined for near-complete dominance of the Brewers—their offense produced one of the lowest hits-allowed totals for a series of this length. Game by game, the Dodgers kept Milwaukee’s bats silent, and Ohtani’s finale stood as the capstone to a dominant sweep.
His performance also secured the NLCS MVP award. He finishes the series with a slash line and a legacy moment that will be replayed for years. It may well define his career. The Dodgers now await the winner of the American League Championship Series—either the Toronto Blue Jays or the Seattle Mariners—to determine the opponent for the upcoming World Series.
Beyond the numbers, Ohtani’s performance renews the conversation about his place in baseball history. As a two-way player—both elite hitter and elite pitcher—he is unique in modern baseball, and arguably across its long history. Many now point to this night as the defining moment of his career: when he not only reached his potential, but transcended it.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Ohtani had been in a slump in the earlier rounds of the playoffs, struggling offensively while still contributing on the mound. Friday’s performance delivered relief, redemption, and spectacle. The leap from form struggle to historic dominance amplified the impact of what he accomplished.
For the Dodgers, the victory means back-to-back trips to the World Series. The organization now sets its aim on becoming the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to win consecutive championships. With Ohtani at the center, their odds and hopes are super-charged.
Yet there are practical questions ahead. The Dodgers now get a week off before the World Series begins, a chance to rest, recover, and strategize. Opponents will be measuring carefully both Ohtani himself and the entire Dodgers roster remain under scrutiny, though few teams will be eager to challenge them at this moment.
But for now, baseball fans around the world have witnessed one of the richest, most dramatic single-game performances the sport has ever offered. Home runs, strikeouts, pitching dominance and history all wrapped in one night. Shohei Ohtani rewrote the script.
As one teammate put it: “There’s only one person in history who could do that, and it’s him.” For baseball, for the Dodgers, for postseason history, Friday night will live on.
