Ohtani strikes out three and hits a leadoff homer for the Dodgers

Ohtani Shines in Game 4 of the NLCS

Shohei Ohtani had what seemed like a standout performance in Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday.

As the starting pitcher for the Dodgers, he began the game facing the Brewers, allowing a walk to Bryce Turan first up, then quickly ramped up the intensity with fastballs that hit over 100 mph, striking out three batters.

Shortly after, Ohtani made a statement at the plate. He blasted a 446-foot homer off former Mets pitcher Jose Quintana, inching the Dodgers ahead late in that inning.

This game also saw Ohtani achieve yet another MLB milestone—becoming the first pitcher ever to start a game with a home run.

Additionally, he became the first Dodgers pitcher in history to hit a home run during the postseason.

But Ohtani wasn’t done. In the fourth inning, he sent another one out of the park, this time a 469-foot shot that soared over the right-field pavilion roof.

This recent surge at the plate is certainly a boost for Ohtani, particularly after a lackluster postseason performance up to this point, where his stats sat at .158/.273/.368 prior to this game.

After the Dodgers’ Game 3 victory, manager Dave Roberts mentioned, “Shohei hasn’t performed as well as we’d like or expect him to,” but added, “I realize how crucial he is to this team.”

This wasn’t the first time Ohtani has risen to the occasion; he had a similar incident last year against Quintana, where he also took the lead in Game 4 of the NLCS versus the Mets.

Following Ohtani’s leadoff hit, Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman brought in Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez followed suit with an RBI for Will Smith, completing the first three runs of the game.