After his services weren't needed in the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Shohei Ohtani was given the first nod for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their NLDS showdown against the Philadelphia Phillies.
With all eyes on the two-way MVP, fans in Philadelphia let Ohtani know they weren't going to give him a second to catch his breath in the bowels of Citizens Bank Park. He was booed during warmup, booed when he took the mound, and booed pretty much any time he was around the ball, either as a pitcher or as a hitter.
Clearly in enemy territory, how did Ohtani fare against the Phillies in his MLB Playoff pitching debut? Pretty darn good.
Taking the mound against a very top-heavy lineup, Ohtani was able to take care of business against Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and company with ease, recording nine KS in six innings while keeping that duo off the bases in each of their showdown.
Now granted, Ohtani wasn't perfect. He had some trouble in the second inning, surrendering a triple to JT Realmuto to give up two runs and allowing a third via a sac fly by Harrison Bader to go down 3-0. Fortunately, while Ohtani recorded a golden sombrero at the plate, his teammates bailed him out, with Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman scoring off of a deep double from Kike Hernandez before Teoscar Hernandez blasted home a three-run bomb to take the commanding lead.
With Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to start Games 2 and 3, and Game 1 reliever Tyler Glasnow likely to earn the Game 4 nod if needed, when will Dodgers fans see Ohtani pitch again? Only time will tell, but after watching Snell and Yamamoto turn in incredible efforts in the Wild Card Round against the Reds, it's clear the Dodgers have a ton of talent on the mound, which could allow for some extra “Showtime” at the plate over the next few games.
Shohei Ohtani's postseason debut
6 IP
3 ER
3 H
1 BB
9 K
23 whiffs ‼️Despite a rough day at the plate, he reminded everyone why he is still one of the best pitchers on the world as well pic.twitter.com/2mZT61Kkil
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) October 5, 2025