Shohei Ohtani may have had a perfect Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday.
Ohtani, who started on the mound for the Dodgers, opened the game against the Brewers with three strikeouts while hitting triple figures on his fastball after walking leadoff hitter Brice Turang.
Just minutes later, Ohtani, 31, led off the bottom of the inning at the plate for Los Angeles by blasting a 450-foot home run that nearly left Dodger Stadium off ex-Mets left-hander Jose Quintana, his first of three long balls on the night.
Ohtani’s early playing exploits also brought several more MLB firsts for the two-way phenom, as he became the first pitcher in league history to start a game with a home run.
He became the first Dodgers pitcher in history to hit a home run in the postseason.
But he might have given himself an edge when he homered again in the fourth inning, firing a 450-foot shot that soared over the roof of the right-field pavilion.
After ending his start on the mound – giving up just two hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings – Ohtani blasted his third home run of the night in the seventh inning, giving the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.
The home runs give Ohtani a spark in an otherwise cold postseason at the plate so far, with the three-time MVP sporting a slash line of just .158/.273/.368 before Friday’s game.
“Shohei is not performing as he would like or as we would expect,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ victory in Game 3. “But I just know how big his role is in this thing.”
Ohtani’s first-inning blast also came a year to the day after he picked up the yard from Quintana to open Game 4 of the NLCS against the Mets.
After Ohtani’s leadoff shot on Friday, Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman drove in Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez drove in Will Smith to cap a three-run first inning.
The Dodgers currently hold a commanding 3-0 lead in a rather lopsided series.
Their pitching staff was dominant against the Brewers, holding them to just three runs through the first three games of the series.
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