Shohei Ohtani made MLB history with an awe-inspiring performance against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, and it was chosen as the Legendary Moment of the Year for 2025 through a partnership with Budweiser.
With the Dodgers in position to sweep the Brewers and advance to the World Series for a second consecutive year, Ohtani took the mound as the starting pitcher and was in his usual leadoff spot in the lineup.
Ohtani issued a leadoff walk to begin the game but followed it by striking out the next three batters faced. He then sprinted to the on-deck circle to begin putting on his batting gear and proceeded to hit a leadoff home run.
JUST IN: Shohei Ohtani’s 3-home run, 10-strikeout NLCS Game 4 performance is the 2025 Legendary Moment of the Year 🔥
The Greatest Sho 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/NTcMlxLqv9
— MLB (@MLB) November 12, 2025
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.
The performance set multiple MLB records and also made Ohtani the first Dodgers pitcher to hit a home run in the postseason.
Among other accolades, Ohtani became the first player to ever have a three-home run game and scoreless start as a pitcher with a minimum of 10 strikeouts. It had never been accomplished in the regular season or playoffs, whether in the same game or different contests.
Ohtani’s record night was enough to earn him NLCS MVP honors after what had been a modest showing in the postseason up to that point.
And even for all he accomplished in the Dodgers’ sweep of the Brewers, Ohtani expressed frustration over falling short of completing seven innings on the mound.
Shohei Ohtani’s Legendary Moment of the Year 2025
Ohtani’s NLCS Game 4 was chosen as the Legendary Moment for the 2025 season over four other nominations for the award. One of which was Ohtani reaching 50 home runs this year for back-to-back seasons with at least that many.
Other moments considered were Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz hitting four home runs in one game, Washington Nationals’ Jacob Young making a spectacular catch, and Seattle Mariners All-Star Cal Raleigh hitting 60 homers.
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