The Los Angeles Dodgers are well on their way back to the World Series. That can be proved with two sufficient reasons. They are playing in Dodger Stadium, and Shohei Ohtani is on the mound and at the plate.
Already, Ohtani is having a dominant performance in both registers. In the 1st inning, he had a lead-off home run and three strikeouts. Additionally, Ohtani made Dodgers history by becoming the first pitcher to hit a home run in the playoffs.
In the 4th inning, Ohtani continued to assert his excellence by launching one 469 yards into right field, per Talkin' Baseball. It was his second homer of the game, and his teammates looked on with astonishment.
SHOHEI OHTANI SENDS ONE 469 FEET! pic.twitter.com/P5uLNt1FSH
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 18, 2025
Indeed, this provides Ohtani a massive sigh of relief after experiencing some struggles in the postseason. Ohtani is batting a meager .158 with five hits, two home runs, and six RBIs. During the regular season, Ohtani batted .282 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs. Additionally, he is a primary frontrunner for the NL MVP, and arguably, his Game 4 exploits should help him.
Shohei Ohtani is the 21st-century Babe Ruth.
It is hard to say that anyone could match the magnetism of Babe Ruth. He was a larger-than-life figure who transcended the game in all dimensions. Ruth did so as a pitcher and a slugger.
However, an exception could be made for Ohtani. From the time he made his journey from Japan to the Majors, he has been a prominent fixture in baseball culture. Ohtani is the first dual threat of pitching and hitting since Ruth.
In the postseason, Ohtani has been stellar on the mound. Against the Philadelphia Phillies, he pitched six innings and had nine strikeouts in Game 1 of the ALDS. In Game 4 of the NLCS, Ohtani had 10 strikeouts to his name.
Very few could say that they have 10 strikeouts and two home runs in a pennant-clinching game. By all accounts, this is something Ruth couldn't claim for himself.