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

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series with a two-way performance for the ages.

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

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

The Dodgers will have the chance to become baseball’s first champions to repeat the World Series in a quarter-century after this stunning night for the three-time MVP, who emphatically ended a quiet postseason by his high standards. Ohtani was selected NLCS MVP mainly because of this unforgettable match.

“This time it was my turn to be able to play,” he said through his interpreter.

After striking out three in the top of the first inning, Ohtani hit the first home run by a pitcher in major league history off Brewers starter Jose Quintana.

Ohtani followed with a 469-foot drive in the fourth, clearing a pavilion roof to right-center.

He added a third solo shot in the seventh, becoming the 12th major league player to hit three home runs in a playoff game. His three homers traveled a total of 1,342 feet.

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

“Sometimes you have to check yourself and touch him to make sure he’s not just made of steel,” said teammate Freddie Freeman, last season’s World Series MVP. “Absolutely incredible. Biggest stage, and he comes out and does something like that. This will probably be remembered as the Shohei Ohtani match.”

After the Brewers’ first two batters reached the seventh, Ohtani left the mound to a stadium-shaking ovation — and after Alex Vesia escaped the jam, Ohtani celebrated by hitting his third home run in the bottom half.

The mighty 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 attempt to become baseball’s first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three consecutive World Series from 1998 to 2000.

“It was special,” Freeman said. “We’ve been playing really good baseball for a while now, and the inevitable happened today: Shohei. Oh my God. I’m still speechless.”

After a 9-1 romp through the National League playoffs, the Dodgers are headed to the World Series for the 23rd time in franchise history, including 14 pennants since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Only the Yankees, last year’s opponents, have made more appearances in the Fall Classic (41).

Los Angeles will have a bye week 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 an NLCS in 16 previous appearances, but they became only the fifth team to sweep this 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 playoff series since 2022, and the first to sweep an NLCS since Washington in 2019.

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

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

“We were part of an iconic individual performance tonight, perhaps the best ever in a playoff game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I don’t think anyone can argue with that. A guy goes out 10 and hits three homers.”

The Brewers had never been swept in a playoff series longer than a best-of-three, but their bats remained quiet in the NLCS against the Dodgers’ brilliant starting rotation. Los Angeles’ four starters combined to throw 28 2/3 innings with two earned runs allowed and 35 strikeouts.

“I definitely think for us to beat four games in a row, you have to do a lot of good things,” outfielder Blake Perkins said. “Some things had to go their way that didn’t go our way. We hit a lot of balls at people. But regardless, Ohtani did a great job today. Is he the greatest player of all time? I don’t know. But he definitely looked like it tonight.”

The Dodgers added two more runs in the first after Ohtani’s tone-setting home run, with Mookie Betts and Will Smith both singled and scoring.

Jackson Chourio doubled in the top of the fourth for Milwaukee’s first hit, but Ohtani blocked it.

Struggling Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen allowed two more baserunners in the eighth, and Caleb Durbin scored when Brice Turang beat out his potential grounding double play before Anthony Banda ended the inning.

Roki Sasaki pitched the ninth in the final successful relief outing for the unlikely Dodgers rookie.

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