MILWAUKEE – Shohei Ohtani delivered a historic performance for the Los angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday, hitting three home runs and striking out 10 batters over six scoreless innings in a dominant 9-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Ohtani became the first player in MLB postseason history to achieve both a three-homer game and double-digit strikeouts in the same contest.
The Dodgers now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, moving within one win of thier first World Series appearance as 2020. Ohtani’s performance considerably boosts Los Angeles’s championship aspirations and solidifies his status as a leading contender for postseason MVP honors. A Dodgers win in Game 5 would send them to the World Series to face either the Texas Rangers or the Houston Astros.
Ohtani showcased his two-way prowess early, launching a solo home run in the first inning. He added two more-a two-run shot in the third and another solo blast in the fifth-bringing his postseason home run total to five. On the mound, he limited the Brewers to five hits, consistently overpowering hitters with a fastball reaching 93 mph and a sharp slider. He threw a season-high 91 pitches.
“It’s always a little advantage (to the) pitcher when they haven’t seen you before,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said, acknowledging the challenge of facing Ohtani for the first time for most of his lineup. “But they’re 170 games in. They understand that you’re not facing Shohei, you’re facing the ball.”
Prior to Tuesday, onyl three Brewers players had ever faced Ohtani as a pitcher. The Dodgers’ pitching staff has been a major strength throughout the postseason, with Los Angeles starters allowing just 10 earned runs in 58 1/3 innings across nine games. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani have combined for 71 strikeouts in that span.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also had rookie reliever Roki Sasaki available in the bullpen, potentially for a second consecutive appearance.Sasaki has been effective in the playoffs, allowing just two hits and one run in seven innings of relief across six games, earning three saves.