When Shohei Ohtani stepped onto the field at Dodger Stadium for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, few could have predicted the spectacle that was about to unfold. By the time the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani had not only rewritten the record books but also left teammates, fans, and baseball historians scrambling for superlatives to describe what they had just witnessed.
Ohtani’s performance on October 17, 2025, was nothing short of legendary. The two-way superstar hammered three home runs—each a solo shot—and struck out 10 batters across six shutout innings, leading the Dodgers to a four-game sweep and a return trip to the World Series. The numbers alone boggle the mind: Ohtani’s trio of homers traveled a combined 1,342 feet, with the second clearing the stadium roof—a feat achieved only eight times in Dodger Stadium’s 64-year history.
“That was probably the greatest postseason performance of all time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declared after the game. “There’s been a lot of postseason games. And there’s a reason why he’s the greatest player on the planet. What he did on the mound, what he did at the bat, he created a lot of memories for a lot of people.”
Ohtani’s journey to this historic night wasn’t all smooth sailing. Entering Game 4, he was mired in an October slump, batting just 3-for-29 (.103) since the start of the Division Series and enduring an eight-game home run drought. In the first three games of the NLCS, he was 2-for-11, a far cry from the dominance fans had come to expect. But the beauty of Ohtani’s boundless talent is his ability to transform at a moment’s notice. When the stakes were highest, he delivered in spectacular fashion.
From the very first inning, it was clear something extraordinary was brewing. Ohtani struck out the side in the top of the first, then led off the bottom half by launching a home run—the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in major league history. The Dodgers jumped to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back. Ohtani’s second blast, a 469-foot missile, soared over the pavilion roof in right-center, leaving the stadium and the fans in a state of disbelief.
“Dumbfounded. Awestruck. In disbelief,” wrote Cary Osborne, capturing the mood in the Dodgers’ dugout after the second homer. Max Muncy, the Dodgers’ third baseman, summed it up: “There wasn’t one person in the dugout that didn’t think he wasn’t going to hit another home run. He hits the second one, and we’re all like, ‘Is this the single greatest game that anyone’s ever played?’ And everyone at the same time is kind of just like, ‘You know he’s going to hit a third one. Right?’”
Sure enough, Ohtani delivered again in the seventh, sending his third homer into the left-center bleachers and crushing any hope the Brewers had of a comeback. With that swing, he became just the 12th player in MLB postseason history to hit three home runs in a game, and the first Dodgers player with two multihomer games in a single postseason. On the mound, he was equally dominant, scattering just two hits and three walks over six innings, and earning 19 swings and misses on 52 pitches. He allowed only one extra-base hit—a fourth-inning double by Jackson Chourio—and retired three innings in order.
“He’s the only one who can do that,” said outfielder Teoscar Hernández. “He did it last year in Miami—that’s the closest without pitching. Shohei is impressive. He’s going to continue to do amazing things.”
Even among the decorated Dodgers, Ohtani’s feat stood apart. Utilityman Kiké Hernández, who hit three homers in the 2017 NLCS, marveled at the difference: “Unfortunately, I played left field at the time, and I didn’t get to punch all those people that he punched out tonight. And my homers were just like right here (Hernández puts his hands together, signifying that his homers didn’t travel as far). And his homers were really, really far. One, he got to enjoy every one of his, and he also got to strike people out. What a person!”
Ohtani’s dominance wasn’t just about the long ball or the strikeouts—it was about delivering when it mattered most. He reached base in all four of his plate appearances, accounting for a third of the Dodgers’ hits and two-thirds of their total bases that night. His pitching performance marked the fifth time in Dodgers postseason history that a pitcher went at least six innings, allowed no runs, and struck out at least 10 batters—a list that includes legends like Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw.
It’s no wonder Ohtani was named NLCS MVP, almost solely on the strength of this one iconic game. Yet, ever humble, he deflected praise to his teammates. “There were times during the postseason where Teo and Mookie picked me up, and this time around, it was my turn to be able to perform,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “And I think just looking back over the course of the entire postseason, I haven’t performed to the expectation, but I think today we saw what the left-handed hitters could do.”
As the Dodgers celebrated their second straight NL pennant, Ohtani had a message for fans in Los Angeles, Japan, and around the world: “This is really a team effort, so I hope everybody in LA and Japan and all over the world can enjoy a really good sake.”
The Dodgers’ run to the World Series has been marked by both offensive firepower and pitching brilliance. Their starting rotation, featuring Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani, has allowed just 10 earned runs across 64 1/3 playoff innings, with a staggering 81 strikeouts. The bullpen, led by relievers like Alex Vesia, has been nearly unhittable, and the lineup—anchored by Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman—has delivered in clutch moments.
Freddie Freeman, a nine-time All-Star, was still processing what he’d seen: “Oh man, that was special. We’ve just been playing really good baseball for a while now, and the inevitable happened today with Shohei—oh, my God, I’m still speechless.”
Blake Snell, when asked what impressed him more, Ohtani’s 10 strikeouts or his three home runs, didn’t hesitate: “The three home runs. That was crazy.”
The Dodgers now await the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners lead the series 3-2, but the final matchup won’t be set until next week. The World Series is scheduled to begin on October 24, 2025, giving the Dodgers a week to rest, recharge, and savor Ohtani’s heroics.
Ohtani himself welcomes the break. “I do see it as a positive in terms of being able to rest, both as a position player and as a pitcher,” he said. “We’ve had some off days, but we’ve played some very meaningful games that were very stressful.”
With their eyes set on a third World Series title since 2020, the Dodgers are riding high on the back of a performance for the ages. For fans lucky enough to witness Ohtani’s Game 4 masterpiece, it’s a night that will be talked about for generations. The Fall Classic awaits, and with Ohtani leading the charge, anything seems possible for Los Angeles.
