Ohtani Propels Dodgers to World Series with Historic Postseason Performance

Shohei Ohtani delivered a dominant performance both on the mound and at the plate today, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a National League Championship Series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and securing their second consecutive World Series berth.

Through nine games of the postseason, Ohtani had been struggling at the plate, batting just .158. However, in Game 4 against the Brewers, the superstar turned the tide, allowing only two hits and zero earned runs across six innings pitched while hitting three home runs in three at-bats, including a 446-foot blast. This dramatic shift in performance comes as the Dodgers aim for their first World Series title since 2020.

“I mean, you can only contain Shohei for so long,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told MLB.com. “They had, and they did a great job of it. No one puts more pressure on themselves than Shohei. For him to break out like this, each day we were expecting it.” Ohtani himself downplayed the notion of a slump, citing the small sample size of the postseason. “I felt like the last couple days I felt pretty good at the plate,” Ohtani said after the game. “And just because of the postseason, the sample size, the lack of, it’s just that I think the lack of performance really skews in this short period of time.” You can find more information about the Dodgers’ season at Sports Illustrated’s Dodgers page.

Yesterday, reports surfaced that Ohtani had engaged in an extended on-field batting practice session at Dodger Stadium, seemingly working through his recent struggles. The Dodgers will now await the winner of the American League Championship Series to determine their opponent in the World Series, with the first game scheduled for next week.