Shohei Ohtani puts on a show for the ages as Dodgers sweep Brewers, head back to World Series

LOS ANGELES — They said the Dodgers were ruining baseball.

Well, they might be right — because at this point, it’s hard to imagine the game being played at a higher level.

On a brisk October Friday night at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani delivered the kind of postseason performance that defies precedent, logic, and maybe even belief. Three home runs. Six shutout innings on the mound. Ten strikeouts. All in a clinching game. All in one night.

With a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a four-game sweep of the NLCS and are headed back to the World Series — their 26th pennant as a franchise and fifth in the last nine years. They now await the winner between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, who battle it out in the ALCS.

But make no mistake: this night belonged to Ohtani.

In what can only be described as one of the most jaw-dropping displays in postseason history, Ohtani etched his name into the baseball annals — again. As a pitcher, he was dominant: six-plus innings, two hits, no runs, ten strikeouts. As a hitter, he was untouchable: 3-for-3, three home runs, three RBIs. He became the first pitcher in postseason history to lead off a game, let alone hit a leadoff home run — and then go on to strike out the side in the top of the first inning.

He also became just the second player in MLB postseason history to hit three home runs from the leadoff spot, joining Hall of Famer George Brett. Except Brett didn’t also throw 100 mph fastballs and strike out 10 in the same game.

Ohtani was named the 2025 National League Championship Series MVP after delivering what may be the single greatest all-around performance in MLB postseason history.

This postseason, the Dodgers are 9-1. Their only loss came in Game 3 of the NLDS to the Phillies. Since then? Flawless.

Their starting pitching has been historically good. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Ohtani combined for a 0.63 ERA over the NLCS. That’s not a typo. That’s just excellence.

Offensively, it wasn’t just Ohtani carrying the load. Tommy Edman continued his hot streak with an RBI and now has hits in six straight postseason games. Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernández all chipped in during a decisive three-run first inning that set the tone.

The Brewers, meanwhile, mustered just four runs the entire series.

When Ohtani walked off the mound in the seventh, Dodger Stadium erupted. It wasn’t just an ovation — it was a celebration of greatness. The kind that transcends rivalry and record books. The kind you tell your grandkids about.

In the bottom of the seventh, Ohtani launched his third homer of the night — a dead-center blast off Trevor Megill. Earlier, he had cleared the roof at Dodger Stadium, becoming just the seventh player to do so.

In a postseason where every pitch is magnified, Ohtani played like it was backyard baseball. Except this was the NLCS. And he wasn’t just the best player on the field — he was the best in the world, period.

Roki Sasaki, the electric 23-year-old Japanese phenom, came on in the ninth to close it out. Pitching on back-to-back days for the first time, he needed just nine pitches to slam the door. Game over. Series over. Celebration on.

“Before the season, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Dave Roberts said postgame, grinning. “Well, let’s go win four more and really ruin baseball.”

The Dodgers are now four wins away from repeating as champions — a feat no team has pulled off in 25 years. If the Mariners win the ALCS, the Dodgers will host Game 1 at Chavez Ravine on Friday, October 24. If the Blue Jays advance, Los Angeles will head to Toronto to open the Fall Classic.

Either way, one thing is clear: no team is hotter, deeper, or more dangerous than the Dodgers. And with Ohtani leading the charge, anything feels possible.

Even perfection. Baseball has never seen anything like this. Ohtani just sent the Dodgers to the World Series — with a performance for the ages. And he’s not done yet.