It was a night that will echo through Dodger Stadium for decades. The same way fans talk about Sandy Koufax’s perfect game or Kirk Gibson’s impossible home run, they’ll talk about this one.
Thursday night became The Shohei Ohtani Game: a performance so outrageous it felt mythic. Ohtani hit three home runs, struck out ten batters, and became the first pitcher in postseason history to hit multiple homers in a game. In six dominant innings, he gave up just two hits and turned Chavez Ravine into an earthquake zone.
By the time the night ended, the Dodgers weren’t just celebrating a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. They were heading back to the World Series, carried by a player who might be rewriting what baseball greatness looks like.
Ohtani turns Dodger Stadium into his personal stage
From the first pitch at 5:39 p.m., the energy felt different. Ohtani walkedBrice Turang, then struck out the next three Brewers in a row. When he came to the plate nine minutes later, the crowd was still on its feet. José Quintana threw a slurve. Ohtani crushed it 446 feet into the right-field pavilion. He wasn’t done.
In the fourth inning, facing reliever Chad Patrick, he watched three balls sail by before getting an 89-mph cutter. The ball rocketed toward the night sky and didn’t land until somewhere near Pasadena. Bat drop. Bedlam.
By the seventh, Ohtani had fanned ten Brewers and allowed just two hits. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound, pulled him after 100 pitches, and 52,000 fans stood to salute. But Ohtani wasn’t finished, not even close.
Moments later, he stepped back into the batter’s box under MLB’s “Ohtani Rule.” On a 1-2 count, Brewers closer Trevor Megill tried to blow a fastball past him at 98.9 mph. Ohtani turned it around, launching his third home run of the night – 427 feet to dead center.Dodger Stadium shook. The Brewers could only watch.
Dodgers sweep, destiny awaits
The Dodgers dominated every inning of the NLCS, outscoring Milwaukee 17-4 and leading in 35 of the 36 frames. The Brewers, who led the NL in batting average during the regular season, hit just .113 in the series.
Behind Ohtani’s masterpiece, Los Angeles earned its first sweep in a best-of-seven series since 1963. Next stop: the World Series. The Dodgers will face either the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays beginning October 24.
And about that postseason slump? Ohtani entered the night hitting .103 in October. He ended it with a standing ovation, 1,342 feet worth of home runs, and a performance already etched into Dodgers lore.
As manager Dave Roberts said before the game, “This is his chance to make his mark.” He did exactly that – and maybe more.
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