Ohtani Delivers on Dodgers‘ vision in Historic Postseason Win
PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 4, 2025 – Shohei Ohtani showcased his two-way dominance, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series at Citizens Bank Park. While his hitting wasn’t at its peak, Ohtani’s pitching performance proved pivotal in turning the tide of the game, solidifying the Dodgers’ belief in his unique skillset. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The Phillies jumped to a 3-0 lead, highlighted by a two-run triple from J.T. Realmuto. They continued to threaten in the fifth inning, loading runners on first and second with one out after Ohtani hit Harrison Bader and Bryson Stott followed with a single. Phillies manager Rob Thomson strategically placed Bader and Stott in the 8-9 spots in the batting order to set the table for Trea Turner and Kyle schwarber.
Ohtani responded by inducing a lineout from Turner and then striking out Schwarber with a curveball - a pitch he uses less than 9% of the time,according to Baseball Savant data. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts demonstrated unwavering confidence in Ohtani, keeping him in the game as no Dodgers pitcher warmed up in the bullpen.
“I just felt that he was just getting better as the night whent on,” Roberts said. “I thought he was the best option, and nothing that I was seeing showed a dropoff. And so, if he could chew up a couple more innings, I thought it would help us tonight and the games going forward.”
After being relieved by Tyler Glasnow - signaling the Dodgers’ intention to utilize starters as relievers – Ohtani continued to contribute to the team’s strategy. In the top of the ninth inning, he noticeably slowed his walk to the plate and unexpectedly showed a bunt, despite having no sacrifice hits in 4,329 regular season at-bats.
Ohtani revealed his intention was to buy time for closer Roki Sasaki to warm up. “I was told by Dave Roberts to make some time for Roki pitching in the bullpen, warming up. So I did,” Ohtani said through his translator, adding with a grin, “I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure we got ample time for him.”
Sasaki pitched a scoreless ninth inning, completing a historic night.According to Sarah Langs, this marked only the second postseason game in MLB history with a Japanese duo earning both the win and the save.
For Ohtani, the victory was about fulfilling the Dodgers’ vision for him as an elite two-way player. “Yeah,the reason why I’m a two-way player is because that’s who I am and it’s what I can do,and also,at the same time,it’s what the team wants,” Ohtani explained.”So that’s the reason why I’ve been doing this.”