Shohei Ohtani made an impressive impact in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, contributing to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-2 victory over the New York Mets. After a standout performance in Game 3, where he hit a three-run homer, Ohtani received playful advice from teammate Freddie Freeman to join in earlier next time.
In Game 4, Ohtani quickly made his mark by connecting with Jose Quintana’s second pitch, sending a powerful shot into the Mets’ bullpen in right-center field. As he left the batter’s box, he pointed towards the Los Angeles dugout, signaling that he took Freeman’s advice to heart. “I was able to do that this time in my first at-bat,” Ohtani said after the game, which put the Dodgers one victory away from the World Series.
Ohtani took the first pitch for a ball before crushing a sinker that traveled 422 feet for his third postseason home run. Despite starting the night with a 0-for-22 slump with no runners on base, he has excelled with runners in scoring position, hitting 7 for 9 with two homers and eight RBIs in those situations.
“I think it was bigger for Sho just getting a hit with no one on base,” said teammate Max Muncy, highlighting Ohtani’s statistical challenges. Ohtani’s leadoff homer marked the seventh such instance in Dodgers postseason history.
Teammate Mookie Betts praised Ohtani’s extraordinary talent, noting, “He just has a superpower that you and me can’t do.” The homer clocked at 117.8 mph is recorded as the third-hardest-hit postseason home run since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
Freeman, emphasizing Ohtani’s incredible strength, remarked that he couldn’t even replicate it with an aluminum bat. Before facing Ohtani, Quintana had not surrendered a home run in his last eight starts since August 20.
Though Ohtani’s postseason stats are lower than his usual performance levels with a .235 average, three homers, and nine RBIs, he had an exceptional regular season. He led the National League with 54 homers and 130 RBIs after signing a historic $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers, also stealing 54 bases to become the first player ever with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. Currently recovering from elbow surgery, he is not pitching this year.
The previous game, where the Dodgers defeated San Diego, saw unparalleled viewership in Japan, drawing an estimated 12.9 million viewers. Ohtani acknowledged the difficulty for fans back home due to the time difference, with his latest home run occurring just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time.