“The greatest day in baseball history.”
That was how Joe Davis described Shohei Ohtnai’s game last season when he went 6-for-6 with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and stole two bases as he created the 50/50 club.
Somehow, roughly one year later, Ohtani topped that performance with the new greatest day in baseball history, and it sent the Los Angeles Dodges to the World Series in a 5-1 victory during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ohtani was on the mound, and hitting leadoff. He started his night on the mound by striking out three batters after issuing a leadoff walk. Ohtani then sprinted to the dugout to begin putting on his batting gear and proceeded to hit a leadoff home run.
Ohtani hit two more homers, and struck out another seven batters. He finished the game 3-for-3 with three home runs and a walk at the plate.
As a pitcher, Ohtani tossed six-plus shutout innings, allowing just two hits, striking out 10 and walking three.
With that performance as both a pitcher and hitter, Ohtani set numerous MLB records, joined rare company, and became the first to achieve multiple feats, via OptaStats and Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Last night Shohei Ohtani had a 3-HR game at the plate. He also had a scoreless outing w/ 10+ Ks on the mound.
No one else in MLB history has done both over the course of his entire career – whether in the regular season or postseason, whether in the same game or different games. pic.twitter.com/T1NvkSnbqt
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani is the second player in MLB postseason history to hit three home runs from the leadoff spot, joining George Brett, who did so at the Yankees in Game 3 of the 1978 ALCS. pic.twitter.com/SbOOcrzvYq
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani:
-first player to strike out a batter and hit a home run in the first inning of a postseason game
-first player to strike out 3 batters & hit a home run in the same postseason inning
-1st player with multiple career postseason innings with 2+ K & a HR (both tn)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
This is the second time in his career Shohei Ohtani has had 10+ strikeouts as a pitcher and 2 home runs at the plate in a game (including playoffs)
He’s the only player to do that twice in a career
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Entering today, there was one pitcher in postseason history to have 10+ strikeouts and a homer in a game: Bob Gibson, twice
Ohtani: TWO homers (1st ps pitcher!) and 10 K
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani is the first pitcher in postseason history with a multi-homer game!!!!!
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani’s three homers in postseason games he pitched (all tonight) are the most of any player in a career in games pitched
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani has homered off Jose Quintana on Oct 17 in consecutive years
He’s the 4th player to homer off the same pitcher on the same calendar day in multiple postseasons, joining:
⁰Justin Turner-Max Scherzer, 10/7/2016 & 2019
Manny Ramirez-Cole Hamels, 10/15/2008 & 2009…— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Three homers in game pitched, MLB history including playoffs:
2025 NLCS G4 Shohei Ohtani
5/13/1942 Jim Tobin
8/15/1886 Guy Hecker— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani is the first player in MLB history with 3 home runs in a game where he struck out at least 5 batters
He struck out 10!!!!!!!! https://t.co/thw1nkwUPr
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 18, 2025
Shohei Ohtani is the first pitcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run (Regular season or Postseason) 👀
H/T: @SlangsOnSports https://t.co/AQnlHLooah pic.twitter.com/0PA1xsBtjj
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2025
In addition, Ohtani also became the first Dodgers pitcher to hit a home run in the postseason.
With his performance, Ohtani earned NLCS MVP, despite his earlier struggles throughout the postseason. It was the first time in his career that he’s been given the honor, and he is the 10th Dodgers NLCS MVP winner in franchise history.
“As I stated before, there were at times during the postseason where Teo and Mookie picked me up,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton after the game.
“And this time around it was my turn to be able to perform. And I think just looking back over the course of the entire postseason, I haven’t performed to the expectation, but I think today we saw what the left-handed hitters could do.”
Dodgers win 23rd National League pennant
By sweeping the Brewers, the Dodgers won their 23rd NL pennant in franchise history, and their 14th since moving to Los Angeles.
Since 1969, when MLB introduced the League Championship Series as part of the postseason, the Dodgers have played in the NLCS a total of 17 times. That’s good for the most in NL history and ranks second all-time behind the New York Yankees (19).
The Dodgers appeared in the NLCS for the eighth time in the last 13 seasons (2013, 2016-2018, 2020-2021, 2024-2025).
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