SI

Shohei Ohtani's Three-Homer, 10-Strikeout Night Sets Unbelievable Baseball History

Greatness.
Shohei Ohtani put together one of the greatest performances you'll ever see Friday
Shohei Ohtani put together one of the greatest performances you'll ever see Friday | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani isn't human. His otherworldly superpowers were known heading into Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, but he entered another stratosphere Friday. Even for him.

On the mound, he pitched six scoreless innings and recorded 10 strikeouts along the way. At the dish, he went 3-for-3 with three home runs and a walk. Yes, you read that right. His second solo shot of the night traveled 469 feet over the right-field wall up and out of Dodger Stadium, too.

The two-way superstar started his night by striking out three batters in the first inning, then quickly headed to his second job at the plate and smacked a leadoff home run.

In the second, he needed just 10 pitches to retire the Brewers' batters who went three up, three down. He recorded three strikeouts before his next homer in the fourth, which went so far even his teammates couldn't believe it.

Ohtani's second homer of the night made him the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit two home runs in a postseason game as a pitcher, according to ESPN Insights. He had one more in him, though, hitting his third deep ball of the night in the seventh. This one went to center field and made the Dodgers superstar the first player with three homers and 10 strikeouts in a game counting both the regular season and playoffs, according to MLB's Sarah Langs.

Here's an awesome look at his wildly historic night, with each strikeout and home run in order:

The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 5-1 to complete the sweep and make their second World Series appearance in a row. But, this one will be remembered forever as the Shohei Ohtani game.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated


Published
Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

Share on XFollow blakesilverman