Shohei Ohtani Has The Greatest Postseason Performance Ever To Send Dodgers Back To The World Series

All-time superstar strikes out 10 batters and hits ball over Dodger Stadium roof in NLCS clincher

There’s never been anyone like Shohei Ohtani, and there never will be. He’s the greatest baseball player ever. And he showed why with arguably the most remarkable single-game playoff performance in the history of Major League Baseball.

That might sound like hyperbole. What could he possibly do to warrant that level of praise? There’s been so many incredible playoff moments in baseball history. Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Freddie Freeman with a walk-off Grand Slam to win game one of the 2024 World Series. Madison Bumgarner had huge outing after huge outing for the San Francisco Giants.

But yeah. This might be better than all of them.

The Los Angeles Dodgers entering Friday night needed just one more win to advance to their second straight World Series. And once again, they turned to the greatest baseball player who’s ever lived. Ohtani started on the mound for the Dodgers and was immediately dominant. In a scoreless top of the first, Ohtani struck out three Milwaukee Brewers hitters. Then came to the plate as the leadoff hitter, and immediately launched a 465-foot home run to right field.

He was just getting started.

Shohei Ohtani Obliterates Milwaukee Brewers To End NLCS

The Dodgers added two more runs in the first, making it 3-0 and creating what looked like an insurmountable hurdle for the Brewers, considering they’d scored just three runs combined in three games. 

Shohei kept putting up scoreless innings on the mound, giving up just one hit through the first four innings. Then in the bottom of the fourth, he one-upped himself. On a 3-1 pitch, he got a cutter from Chad Patrick and hit it 470 feet over the roof of Dodger Stadium. Literally over the roof in right center field.

Just the seventh player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium. And he did it for his second home run of the game. In a postseason game. With a chance to send his team to the World Series. He was still not done. Not even close.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 17:  Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during Game Four of the National League Championship Series presented by loanDepot between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Ohtani kept going, striking out four of the six hitters he faced in the 5th and 6th innings. Six innings pitched. Two hits allowed. No runs. 10 strikeouts. Absolute dominance on the mound. He still had another at bat left.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, Ohtani came up against Milwaukee’s best reliever, Trevor Megill. After two homers to the right side of the stadium, Ohtani decided to mix it up and hit one 114mph and 427 feet to left center field for his third homer of the game. 

Three home runs. Hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium. Throw six shutout innings on the mound. Ten strikeouts, just two hits allowed. He allowed two hits and had three home runs. What are we even doing here? What are we watching? 

Baseball is harder than it’s ever been. It’s harder to hit than it’s ever been. It’s harder to be an elite pitcher than it’s ever been. Shohei Ohtani is one of the best two hitters in baseball, and he just threw six dominant innings against the team with the best record in baseball in the regular season to send his team to the World Series.

Oh, and he sent his team to the World Series. The Dodgers just went through the Brewers like a knife through butter. A four-game sweep, allowing four total runs. They haven’t won a championship yet, and the Mariners or Blue Jays will provide a stiffer challenge than the clearly overmatched Milwaukee lineup. 

They’ve won in every possible way. Friday night, they won by having the best player in the history of the sport on their side.