How the Los Angeles Dodgers reached the World Series for the third time in six years
USA TODAY Sports’ Gabe Lux explains how the Dodgers dominated the Brewers en route to a World Series appearance.
sports pulse
- Shohei Ohtani won NLCS MVP after his incredible performance in Game 4.
- Otani pitched six innings in Game 4, pitching a shutout with 10 strikeouts and hitting three home runs.
- The Dodgers advanced to the World Series for the fifth time in nine years.
LOS ANGELES — As the Los Angeles Dodgers circled each other Friday night, spraying champagne, guzzling beer and several taking turns sliding on wet tarps, no amount of late-night celebrations or amount of adult beverages could adequately describe what they had just witnessed.
They knew they were part of history. They knew they had never seen anything like this before. There was nothing like it in the history books. It seemed humanly impossible.
So how can you describe what Shohei Ohtani just did in front of a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd of 52,883 people who screamed and cheered so loudly that Dodger Stadium practically shook?
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “What we witnessed was the single greatest game by a baseball player in the history of baseball.”
Gushed Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez: “It was the greatest game ever played by a human being.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “This was a performance like I’ve never seen before.” “Nobody’s ever seen anything like this. There’s a reason he’s the greatest player on the planet.”
There was not a single word in the clubhouse that exaggerated Ohtani’s performance.
In fact, Ohtani hit three home runs, struck out 10 batters, and became the first player in history to pitch six shutout innings.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said, “Sometimes you have to check yourself and touch him and see if he’s just made of steel.” “It’s just unbelievable. On the biggest stage, he goes out there and does something like that.
“It will probably be remembered as the ‘Shohei Ohtani Game.'”
Ohtani’s night was very impressive, as he actually hit more home runs than the two hits he allowed. He struck out more batters in this series than the entire Milwaukee Brewers’ starting rotation combined. He was the 12th player to hit three home runs in a postseason game, joining Hall of Famer George Brett as the only players to do it from leadoff.
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“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Throughout the fourth inning, I texted the Slack thread and said, ‘This is the best four innings a major leaguer has played in postseason history. This is the best four innings ever played.'”
“Then he hit another home run. ‘That’s the best six innings ever. Seven innings.'” Without a doubt, it was his best postseason performance ever. ”
The only real debate that night was how far Ohtani’s second home run in the fourth inning sailed over the right field pavilion and landed in the picnic area.
“That was breathtaking for everyone,” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said.
It was measured at 469 feet.
“That was the furthest ball I’ve ever hit,” Muncy said. “I’ve played a lot of games here and I’ve never seen a ball go that far. I know Statcast said 460 feet, but I don’t care what Statcast says. Statcast is wrong. I know this stadium well. I know the dimensions. I know the depth of the seats. That ball won’t go less than 500 feet.”
Maybe even further.
“There’s only one person in the world and in the history of this game who can do that, and that’s him,” Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez said.
It doesn’t really matter. When this performance is remembered for generations to come, it will be a 600- or 700-foot home run.
Dodgers relief pitcher Anthony Banda said, “We sat in the bullpen and watched the balls come out, and we lost.” “We thought it left the stadium. It went over the open space on the roof of the pavilion. We didn’t even see it land. It was unbelievable.”
Otani started getting tired in the seventh inning, but allowed only one hit until the sixth inning. He walked the leadoff batter, allowed a single, was removed from the game only as a pitcher, and came off the mound with a roar that could be heard throughout Malibu.
Now, like any good entertainer, he decided to return to the stage for an encore. He hit a 98.9 mph fastball from Brewers closer Trevor Megill over the center field fence 427 feet away, leaving the crowd and teammates in awe.
Dodgers President Stan Kasten said, “I was in the office having to do something and I said something that was completely unprintable. So there you have it.”
“It’s kind of funny,” Muncy said. “There wasn’t a single person in the dugout who didn’t think he was going to hit a home run tonight. He hit his second one, and we’re all saying, ‘Isn’t this the greatest game anyone’s ever played?'” Everybody said at the same time, “He’s going to get another shot.” ”
The only time a pitcher hit three home runs in a baseball game was Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves in 1932, and that was in a regular season game.
Now off to the World Series, the Dodgers will face either the Toronto Blue Jays or Seattle Mariners for a chance to become the first National League team to win back-to-back World Series in 49 years.
“Before this season, they said the Dodgers were ruining baseball,” Roberts said as he held up the National League trophy on stage. “Let’s win four more games and really screw up baseball.”
Well, that story will have to wait.
This night was all about Ohtani.
Betts, standing in the clubhouse, still shaking his head in disbelief, said he didn’t have words to describe Ohtani, but he certainly knows what it’s like to be a teammate.
“We’re like the Chicago Bulls, and he’s Michael Jordan. One day I can tell my kids I got to play with Ohtani. There are no other words to describe what he’s doing.”
“Shohei is just Shohei.”
A once-in-a-lifetime talent put on a timeless show on Friday, perhaps paving the way for future generations.
“He’s put in unbelievable situations, but he rarely lets down. It’s unbelievable to be able to impact both sides of the game, and I think he’s trying to inspire a different generation that he can do that,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Pryor said.
“It’s not always easy, but it’s great to see him paving the way.
“What a night.
“What a performance.”
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