Comparing Shohei Ohtani's NLCS Game 4 to The Greatest Feats in Sports History

Once Shohei Ohtani homered for the third time — shortly after wrapping up his six scoreless innings on the mound — the superlatives began in earnest.

Best baseball performance of all time?

Best sports performance, period?

Pinnacle of overall human achievement?

That last one is perhaps over the top, but the first two questions are worth exploring. In Game 4 of the NL Championship Series on Friday night, Ohtani became the third player ever to hit three homers in a game in which he was a starting pitcher. He also become the only person since at least 1906 to reach double digits in both total bases at the plate (12) and strikeouts on the mound (10).

To put his performance in more simplistic terms: There are three main components to baseball — pitching, hitting and fielding. Ohtani pitched for two-thirds of the game and allowed the fewest runs possible. He had four opportunities at the plate and did the best thing possible in three of them. The other was a walk.

It would have been hard for him to do any better unless he pitched more innings — or maybe played in the outfield and robbed a couple homers.

When Don Larsen threw his perfect game for the New York Yankees during the 1956 World Series, he dominated on the mound only. And it wasn't for lack of opportunity. He went 0 for 2 with a sacrifice at the plate that day, according to Baseball Reference.

Shohei Ohtani hit not one, not two but three home runs in the deciding Game 4 of the NLCS. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

As baseball has evolved, good pitching and good hitting have become mutually exclusive. It's simply too hard for one player to excel at both at the big league level. Or so we thought. Then Ohtani came along.

Wilt Chamberlain once scored 100 points in