Dodgers 5, Brewers 1 – NLCS Game 4: Shohei Ohtani clinches a trip to the World Series with 6 shutout innings on the mound & 3 homers in the box for a truly absurd performance

Chad Moriyama 10/17/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

(Via @MLB)

While it’s exceedingly rare for a team to blow a 3-0 series lead, it was obviously preferable for the Dodgers to end the NLCS as soon as possible to prevent the Brewers from getting any life. Well, they certainly didn’t thanks in large part to starting pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who probably had the greatest playoff game of all time. He went six shutout innings and broke out of whatever struggles he was having with three homers, including one hit out of the stadium.

All you can do is laugh.

The bullpen did manage to make it a bit exciting towards the end, but really Ohtani was just too much as they clinched a trip to the World Series with a 5-1 victory.

What a view.

One of the few pluses of playoff broadcasts is these shots are constant.

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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) October 17, 2025 at 3:15 PM

Let’s go, man.

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After some gamesmanship throughout the series about exactly when the Brewers would deploy Jose Quintana, Pat Murphy decided to go traditional for once and just give him a standard Game 4 start.

Coming off the mound, Shohei Ohtani stepped up to the plate, worked a full count, and promptly drilled a slurve deep into the right-field bleachers to make it 1-0 early.

Unicorn shit.

"Every pitcher in the National League before 2022 did this. ☝️?"

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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) October 17, 2025 at 3:28 PM

After that exciting start, Mookie Betts followed with a single to left and Will Smith singled to center to corner the runners. Freddie Freeman then came up and Quintana surprisingly got him to strikeout, but Tommy Edman continued to hit with a single up the middle to make it 2-0 and re-corner the runners. Teoscar Hernandez then hit a nubber to first, which was an out but also good enough to score Dills to make it 3-0 and advance Tommy to second.

That brought up Max Muncy with a runner still in scoring position, who just missed a mile-high flyball to right to end that threat.

In the 2nd, he issued a one-out walk to Shohei, but otherwise looked like he was maybe settling in. But he started the 3rd by giving up back-to-back singles to Will and Freddie to corner the runners, and Murphy had seen enough with the season on the line.

Unfortunately, Chad Patrick entered and prevented the Dodgers from adding on, getting back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to end that threat.

Patrick continued to dominate in the 4th with back-to-back strikeouts, but then he fell behind Ohtani with a 3-1 count, at which point he then absolutely torched a ball 469 feet over the pavilion in right to make it 4-0.

The reactions were just as amazing, really.

@wh0atemycereal MVP. #shoheiotani #dodgers #mlb #nlcs ♬ original sound – Aaron 🦧

Just absurd stuff.

After he got the last out of the 4th, he then got a clean 5th, and one in the 6th as well. Aside from Ohtani, Patrick really shut the door and gave them a chance.

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On the bump for the Dodgers was none other than Shohei Ohtani on very long rest, which did give me some concern in terms of how sharp he’d be. Indeed, the fine command wasn’t as great as we’ve seen before, but it was plenty.

Shohei did start by issuing a walk on a full count to start the game in the 1st, but he followed that by striking out three in a row to end any thought of a rally.

He then had a much easier 2nd, cruising through a 10-pitch frame, but he issued another full-count walk to start the 3rd, this time to Blake Perkins. Fortunately, he rebounded with a strikeout and then got a lineout to Enrique Hernandez in left, who doubled off Perkins making a TOOTBLAN off first.

The 4th then started ominously with a double from Jackson Chourio, but after a hard-hit groundout, Ohtani struck out the next two for a scoreless frame.

In the 5th, he got a flyout and then followed with two more strikeouts, as he finally looked like he was finding the range a bit. He continued in the 6th with two more strikeout and a flyout to cruise into the late innings.

Dave Roberts decided to push him a bit in the 7th, but he looked like he was fatiguing a bit. He issued a full-count walk and then gave up a single up the middle on a full count to put a pair on.

That was the end of the line for Ohtani, who did look rusty but just overpowered them with stuff: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 100 Pitches.

Of course, that zero is still up there because Alex Vesia entered in relief and got pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn to pop up to the infield and then got a double play from Sal Frelick to escape that jam with the shutout still intact.

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Back to the Brewers, it was Trevor Megill next up in the 7th, and he got a pair of strikeouts and a flyout in the inning.

The problem?

Shohei came up again, and for the THIRD TIME OF THE NIGHT, he hit a missile into the stands to make it 5-0.

lol

Just lol.

Anyway, it was Jared Koenig in the 8th, and the Dodgers unfortunately didn’t get it around to Ohtani again. After a pair of strikeouts, Teoscar and Muncy tried with a single and a walk, respectively, but Enrique flew out to deep center to close the book on the bats.

——

The Dodgers pen did manage to make it a bit exciting in the 8th again, as human gasoline can Blake Treinen entered and gave up a double to Caleb Durbin, who then stole third before Treinen walked Andruw Monasterio to welcome the nerves back to the game. He did rebound with a strikeout, but Dave understandably saw enough — and he should’ve just went with somebody like Emmet Sheehan here to begin with.

Dave turned to Anthony Banda, who got a grounder to second, but Brice Turang beat the double-play turn to first for the Brewers’ first run to make it 5-1.

A single from Chourio (again) followed, but Banda got Christian Yelich to bounce out weakly back to him to end that threat.

With three outs to go and a four-run lead, Dave wasn’t taking any chances, and it was Roki Sasaki in the 9th on back-to-back days for the first time. He didn’t look his best either, giving up a lead-off single, and two hard-hit outs, but he did get the three outs he needed, and so the Dodgers are going back to the World Series.

Let’s go.

Shohei won the NLCS MVP, which is fair considering the lack of standouts and the fact that he singlehandedly won the clinching game.

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An NLCS sweep, four games to none over the Brewers. Neato.

With their place in the World Series secured, the Dodgers will now have to wait until October 24 for Game 1 of the World Series on FOX. The time of the game is to be determined, and so is the opponent between the Mariners and Blue Jays.

Celebration post to come.

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