Shohei Ohtani hits 3 homers and strikes out 10 in Dodgers’ 5-1 win over Brewers in NLCS: NPR

LOS ANGELES – Shohei Ohtani brought the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series with a two-way performance for the ages.

Ohtani hit three homers and struck out 10 while pitching in the seventh inning, and the Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League Championship Series with a 5-1 win in Game 4 on Friday night.

“This was probably the greatest postseason performance ever,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There were a lot of postseason games. There’s a reason he’s the greatest player on the planet.”

The Dodgers will have a chance to become baseball’s first repeat World Series champion in a quarter-century after this stunning night for the three-time MVP, which emphatically ended a postseason that was quiet by his lofty standards. Ohtani was named NLCS Most Valuable Player on the strength of this memorable game.

“This time it is my turn to be able to perform,” he said through his translator.

After scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, Ohtani hit the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in major league history off Brewers starter Jose Quintana.

Ohtani followed with a 469-footer in the fourth, which cleared the roof of the right-center wing.

He added a third solo shot in the seventh inning, becoming the 12th major league player to hit three homers in a postseason game. Combined, his three owners traveled 1,342 feet.

Ohtani also completely dominated the Brewers in his second career postseason start on the mound, allowing two hits in his first double-digit strikeout game in a Dodgers uniform. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, fanning two homers in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

“Sometimes you have to check yourself and touch it to make sure it’s not just made of steel,” said teammate Freddie Freeman, last season’s World Series MVP. “It’s absolutely unbelievable. The biggest stage, to come out and do something like this. We’ll probably remember it as the Shohei Ohtani match.”

After the Brewers’ first two batters reached the seventh, Ohtani left the mound to a standing ovation from the outfield — and after Alex Vescia escaped a jam, Ohtani celebrated by hitting his third homer in the bottom half.

The powerhouse Dodgers are the first team to win back-to-back pennants since Philadelphia in 2009. Los Angeles is back in the World Series for the fifth time in nine seasons, and will try to become baseball’s first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three straight World Series from 1998-2000.

“That was special,” Freeman said. “We’ve been playing a really good game of baseball for a while, and the inevitable happened today – Shuhei. Oh my God. I’m still speechless.”

After a 9-1 rampage during the NFL playoffs, the Dodgers are headed to their 23rd World Series in franchise history, including 14 pennants since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Only the Yankees, last year’s opponent, have played more games in the Fall Classic (41).

Los Angeles will have a week off before the World Series begins next Friday, either in Toronto or at Dodger Stadium against Seattle. The Mariners beat the Blue Jays 6-2 earlier Friday to take a 3-2 lead in the ALCS, which continues Sunday at Rogers Center.

The Dodgers had never swept the NLCS in their previous 16 games, but they became only the fifth team to sweep the series while completely dominating a Milwaukee club that led the major leagues with 97 wins during the season. Los Angeles is the first team to sweep a best-of-seven postseason series since 2022, and the first team to sweep the NLCS since Washington in 2019.

“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers were ruining baseball,” Roberts shouted to the crowd during the on-field celebration. “Let’s get four more wins and really destroy baseball!”

The NL Central champion Brewers were eliminated by the Dodgers for the third time during their current seven-game playoff stretch in eight years. Even after setting a record for wins this season, Milwaukee is still awaiting its first World Series appearance since 1982.

“We were part of the night, probably the best individual performance ever in a postseason game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I don’t think anyone could argue with that. A guy beats up 10 people and beats up three reptile owners.”

The Brewers have never been swept in a playoff series longer than a best-of-three, but their bats went silent in the NLCS against the Dodgers’ impressive starting rotation. Los Angeles’ four starters combined to pitch 28 2/3 innings while allowing two earned runs and 35 hits.

“I really think to beat us four games in a row, you have to do a lot of things right,” outfielder Blake Perkins said. “Some things should have gone our way that didn’t go our way. We made a lot of shots at people. But either way, Ohtani played great today. Is he the greatest player of all time? I don’t know. But he certainly looked like it tonight.”

The Dodgers added two more runs in the first after Ohtani’s homer set the tone, with Mookie Betts and Will Smith both singled and scored.

Jackson Corio doubled to lead off in the fourth for Milwaukee’s first hit, but Ohtani was stranded.

Struggling Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen allowed two more baserunners in the eighth, and Caleb Durbin scored when Bryce Turang beat his would-be fielder into a double play before Anthony Banda ended the inning.

Rocky Sasaki pitched the ninth in what was the last successful relief outing for the unexpected Dodgers rookie.