What happened at Dodger Stadium wasn’t a baseball game, it was a spectacle, a seismic event, a one-man Broadway show starring Shohei Ohtani and featuring the Milwaukee Brewers as reluctant background dancers. I mean, seriously — are we sure this guy is real? Because what we saw Friday night defied not just expectations, not just precedent, but possibly the boundaries of physics.
Ohtani Makes History Before Fans Even Find Their Seats
NLCS Game 4. The Dodgers are up 3–0 in the series, with a World Series ticket within reach. But the real story? It’s Ohtani. The two-way unicorn, the $700 million man, is stepping into what may be the most scrutinized, pressure-packed performance of his life. And what does he do? Oh, you know — just casually hits the first leadoff home run by a starting pitcher in MLB postseason history. Then tosses six innings of two-hit, 10-strikeout baseball like he’s out there in a backyard wiffleball game.
A 469-Foot Statement That Silenced the Doubters
But wait, there’s more. He didn’t stop after one homer. He didn’t stop after two. No — he hit three. Three towering, soul-crushing, laugh-out-loud ridiculous home runs — one of which traveled 469 feet out of Dodger Stadium. Over the stands. Over the roof. Gone.
By the time it landed, the Dodgers weren’t even cheering anymore. They were laughing. What else could you do?
And keep in mind: this came after a rough postseason stretch where Ohtani went 3-for-29 with 14 strikeouts. People were wondering if the two-way experiment had finally hit its ceiling. They questioned if the grind of dual roles was wearing him down. Whether pushing back his Game 2 start to Game 4 was a sign of burnout. And to all that? Ohtani responded the way only a generational alien talent can — by authoring the most outrageous individual performance we’ve ever seen in October baseball.
The Dodgers Are Rolling — But Ohtani Is the Engine
It was methodical, too. The guy didn’t rant, didn’t posture. He prepared like clockwork, stuck to his pregame routines, and then flat-out annihilated the narrative. You think that’s dramatic? Ask manager Dave Roberts, who could barely form a sentence after the game: “I’m still in awe right now of Shohei.”
And how about those stats? Fastest three pitches of the night — all Ohtani. Hardest-hit three balls — Ohtani. Longest three home runs — Ohtani. It’s like someone gave him the cheat codes and forgot to turn them off.
Now, let’s not forget the supporting cast. Snell was surgical in Game 1. Yamamoto was a maestro in Game 2. Freeman and Will Smith have been driving the offense like vets on a mission. But let’s be honest — this team goes as far as Ohtani carries them. And on Friday, he carried them like Atlas holding up the sky.
So yeah, the Dodgers are heading to the World Series, set to face either the Mariners or the Blue Jays. They’ve got the payroll, the rotation, the bats. But most of all? They’ve got Ohtani — and right now, that feels almost unfair.
Nine more years of this? Buckle up, MLB.
