Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2025 National League Championship Series (NLCS) after deploying one of the most extraordinary single-game performances in MLB postseason history. His heroics in Game 4 carried Los Angeles to a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, completing a four-game sweep and sending the Dodgers back to the World Series for the second consecutive season.

Ohtani’s performance on Friday night at Dodger Stadium was historic in every sense. On the mound, he pitched six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters. Two of those strikeouts came on fastballs exceeding 100 mph, including one at 100.3 mph to Jackson Chourio and another at 100.2 mph to Christian Yelich.

He utilized a seven-pitch mix throughout the game, keeping the Milwaukee lineup off balance and effectively neutralizing their offense. Ohtani exited in the seventh inning with a standing ovation, having allowed just five baserunners over six-plus innings.

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At the plate, the 31-year-old was just as good. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, hitting three towering home runs. His first homer came as a leadoff blast in the bottom of the first inning, traveling 446 feet with an exit velocity of 116.5 mph. The second homer, which cleared Dodger Stadium, measured 469 feet with a 116.9 mph exit speed, making Ohtani only the second Dodger ever to hit a ball out of the park.

His third home run, off Brewers reliever Trevor Megill, went 427 feet at 113.6 mph. In doing so, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit multiple postseason home runs while also pitching in the same game. He also joined an elite group of 12 players to hit three homers in a single postseason contest.

Spanning the NLCS, Ohtani went 5-for-14 (.357) with three home runs, a triple, four RBIs, four walks, and one stolen base, while also earning a pitching win in Game 4. He dominated both sides of the game after a quiet first three games of the series. Ohtani became just the second Japanese-born player to win a League Championship Series MVP, following Koji Uehara of the 2013 Boston Red Sox.

The Dodgers will face either the Seattle Mariners or the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series starting next Friday. The Mariners currently hold a 3-2 lead in the ALCS.