LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani has propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series with a two-way performance for the ages.
Ohtani hit three mammoth home runs and pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning, and the Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers out of the NL Championship Series with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 on Friday night.
The Dodgers will have a chance to be baseball's first repeat World Series champions in a quarter-century after this mind-blowing night for the three-time MVP Ohtani, who emphatically ended a quiet postseason by his lofty standards. Ohtani was named the NLCS MVP essentially on the strength of this one unforgettable game.
«It was really fun on both sides of the ball today,» Ohtani said through his interpreter. «As a representative (of the team), I'm taking this trophy, and let's get four more wins.»
After striking out three in the top of the first inning of Game 4, Ohtani hit the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in major league history off Brewers starter Jose Quintana.
Ohtani followed with a 469-foot blast in the fourth, clearing the pavilion above the bleachers in left field.
Ohtani added a third solo shot in the seventh, becoming the 12th player in major league history to hit three homers in a playoff game. His three homers traveled a combined 1,342 feet.
Ohtani (2-0) also thoroughly dominated the Brewers in his second career postseason mound start, fanning 10 for his first double-digit strikeout game in a Dodgers uniform.
«Sometimes you've got to check yourself and touch him to make sure he's not just made of steel,» said Freddie Freeman, last season's World Series MVP. «Absolutely incredible. Biggest stage, and he goes out and does something like that. It'll probably be remembered as
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