Entering the series finale versus the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani was already the most unique athlete to ever play in the MLB. And yet, he found a way to mystify the masses once again.
Ohtani achieved unprecedented history in a playoff-clinching 20-4 road win, and did so in grand fashion. He went 6-for-6 with three home runs, two doubles and a whopping 10 RBIs while also recording two stolen bases in what was one of the most amazing outings an offensive talent has ever compiled in one game.
The masterpiece was more exquisite due to the fact that it enabled the 30-year-old superstar to become the first player to blast 50 homers and swipe 50 bags in a single season.
The clear-cut National League MVP, who is now also the Dodgers' all-time single-season home run leader after surpassing Shawn Green on Thursday, continues to pad a legacy that is becoming more distinctive by the week.
While the baseball-watching world tries to fathom the possibility of such an overstuffed stat line in the year 2024, it is an appropriate time to ponder if this dominant display in LoanDepot Park is in fact the best MLB game an individual has ever produced.
In a time when analysts and fans alike frequently lament the lack of offense in the modern big leagues, it seems illogical to even pose this question. Rest assured, though, Shohei Ohtani undeniably belongs in the conversation for greatest outing ever.
Shohei Ohtani cannot be put in same tier as playoff performances
Context is incredibly important when trying to juxtapose one awe-inspiring afternoon at the ballpark with another. Although Ohtani claimed franchise and MLB immortality while also helping the Dodgers (91-62) clinch a postseason berth and tie the Philadelphia Phillies for best record in baseball, his herculean efforts cannot compare to October heroics.
A game against the last-place Marlins does not provide the same pressure to succeed that players experience in the frenzied atmosphere of the postseason.
The global phenom faced considerable scrutiny on his way to officially starting the 50-50 club, to be fair, but it feels unjustifiable to place his milestone-filled showing above New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson's three-homer “Mr. October” game versus LA in the 1977 World Series.
But can he claim the regular-season crown? Answering that query is quite tricky given that many of the other best-game candidates, via MLB.com, were lacking stakes but did carry more of a scoreboard-based impact.
Comparing Ohtani's marvelous day in Miami to other legendary showings
Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt went 5-for-6 with four home runs and eight RBIs to lift the Phillies to an improbable 10-inning win over the home-team Chicago Cubs on April 17, 1976. Philly trailed 12-1 early on, so it desperately needed Schmidt's excellence in this particular game. Technically, this is not true for Ohtani's spectacle.
Former Oakland Athletics masher and aspiring mechanic Khris Davis also belted clutch dingers in a comeback win, capping off a three-homer, six-RBI night with a walk-off grand slam against the Texas Rangers in May of 2016. Former American League MVP Josh Hamilton went yard four times and was a perfect 5-for-5 in the same month a few years earlier.
World Series Champion Anthony Rendon posted similar numbers to Ohtani when he went 6-for-6 with three homers and 10 RBIs at the end of April in 2017. Later that year, future Cincinnati Reds All-Star Scooter Gennett put up eye-popping numbers of his own in a June blowout win (5-for-5, four long balls and 10 RBIs).
Longtime outfielder Shawn Green, the Dodger Shohei Ohtani eclipsed on Thursday, also muscled the ball over the wall four times and recorded a stunning 19 total bases. Of course, there are plenty of titanic games that most of the public cannot recall. Perhaps most notably, Yankees icon Lou Gehrig homered in four-straight at-bats versus the Philadelphia Athletics on June 3, 1932.
All of those triumphs were in the first half of the season, while Ohtani thrived in a mid-September matchup that could prove relevant in the home-field advantage battle between LA and Philly. Factor in the base-running element, and it is fair to rank Shotime's performance ahead of the aforementioned ones.
But I believe there is a player who stands above.
A Red Sox rookie might edge out Shohei Ohtani
In a June 18, 1975, road game against the Detroit Tigers, 23-year-old Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn went 5-for-6 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in a 15-1 win.
Despite this being another first-half feat, Lynn's output should be held in special regard since he was just a rookie (would win MVP, Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove that year). Moreover, his third blast came off a pitcher. Ohtani crushed a 440-foot, three-run bomb in the ninth inning off Marlins infielder Vidal Brujan.
You can argue that Lynn had a clear advantage playing in a notoriously hitter-friendly park like Tiger Stadium, but his defensive presence and youth puts him in rarefied single-game air. Obviously, though, Ohtani deserves special recognition as well.
Aside from pitching, which he has not yet been cleared to do, this man unloaded his toolbox in Miami. If the Marlins had not thrown him out at third, he would have attained a cycle.
Shohei Ohtani is putting an exclamation point on a singularly sensational season. He will hope to add a few more when the playoff-bound Dodgers vie for a World Series championship in a couple of weeks.
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