Shohei Ohtani delivered a performance that teammates, opponents, and fans alike described as one of the greatest in baseball history. With the Los Angeles Dodgers already leading 3-0 in the NLCS, Ohtani reached the peak of his two-way brilliance in Game 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers. On the mound, he threw 6.1 scoreless innings, striking out 10 batters and allowing just two hits. At the plate, he hit three home runs — including one that left Dodger Stadium entirely — leading the Dodgers to a 5-1 win and a second consecutive trip to the World Series.

Ohtani’s night began with his second career postseason start. He worked around a leadoff walk by striking out the heart of Milwaukee’s lineup. Moments later, he switched to the batter’s box and launched a leadoff home run off Brewers starter José Quintana. In the fourth inning, he crushed a cutter from reliever Chad Patrick completely out of the stadium, and in the seventh, he went deep again to the opposite field off Trevor Megill, putting Los Angeles up 5-0. His three home runs traveled a combined 1,342 feet, marking the 13th three-homer game in postseason history.

Ohtani was equally dominant on the mound, becoming the first pitcher in postseason history to record 10 or more strikeouts and allow no runs in a pennant-clinching game — and the first ever to hit two or more home runs while pitching. He hit more home runs than hits allowed and became the first pitcher to lead off a postseason game with a home run. The performance earned him the NLCS MVP award almost single-handedly, capping a remarkable night that sent the Dodgers to the World Series with a four-game sweep of the Brewers.