Ohtani’s Historic Three-Homer, 10-K Masterpiece Sends Dodgers Back to the World Series

LOS ANGELES, CA — History was made last night at Dodger Stadium, and its name is Shohei Ohtani. In a single-game performance that defied modern baseball precedent, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar delivered a masterclass in two-way dominance, crushing three home runs while pitching six scoreless, two-hit innings with 10 strikeouts, leading the Dodgers to a dominant 5-1 victory and a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.

The performance cemented Ohtani as the NLCS MVP and propelled the defending World Series champions back to the Fall Classic for the second consecutive season.

The Two-Way Feat for the Ages

Ohtani’s Game 4 was a perfect encapsulation of his unparalleled career, delivering the greatest single-game performance in postseason history.

• At the Plate: Ohtani opened the scoring with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, a towering 446-foot blast that immediately set the tone. He launched his second homer in the fourth inning, a massive 469-foot shot that nearly cleared the pavilion roof. Then, in the seventh, after his pitching duties were over, he added a third, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run and the first player to hit three home runs while recording 10 strikeouts in a playoff game.
• On the Mound: Matched up against Brewers starter Jose Quintana, Ohtani was equally brilliant. He retired the first seven batters he faced, striking out the side in the first inning. He pitched into the seventh, allowing just two hits and zero runs while striking out 10 Brewers, leaving the mound to a thunderous standing ovation.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, witnessing the surreal event from the dugout, called it “probably the greatest postseason performance of all time.”

The Unstoppable Rotation

Ohtani’s heroics capped off a historic stretch of starting pitching for the Dodgers. Throughout the entire NLCS, the Dodgers’ formidable rotation of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani was nearly flawless, combining for a minuscule 0.63 ERA over the four-game sweep. They allowed the Brewers, the team with the best regular-season record in baseball, to score just four total runs in the entire series—an average of one run per game.

The defensive execution was equally clinical, highlighted by shortstop Mookie Betts and the entire infield, which committed zero errors in the series.

Demoralizing End for Milwaukee

For the Milwaukee Brewers, the sudden sweep brought a demoralizing end to their otherwise memorable season. After winning a decisive Game 5 against the Cubs to reach the NLCS for the first time since 2018, they ran into a Los Angeles machine that was simply too deep and too talented.

The Brewers were unable to solve any of the Dodgers’ aces, and their offense was neutralized, managing only two hits through the first six innings of Game 4.

With the victory, the Dodgers are the first defending World Series champion to return to the Fall Classic in 16 years, securing their fifth pennant in the last nine years. They now await the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners.