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When Shohei Ohtani hit the 50-50 milestone last season in Miami, many thought it was one of the greatest single performances in baseball history. Little did they know, Ohtani would go on to deliver an even more impressive feat in a series-clinching game that sent his Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series, just one year after winning the Commissionerâ€s Trophy.

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On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down what might be the most impressive game ever played in baseball, in which Ohtani pitched six shutout innings, struck out ten, allowed zero earned runs, and hit three home runs en route to the Dodgers clinching the National League pennant. Then the guys talk about the Milwaukee Brewers†unfortunate showing against a juggernaut like the Dodgers.

Also in this episode, Jake and Jordan preview the upcoming Game 7 that will decide the ALCS between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners. Will the Jays ride the hot bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to their first World Series since 1993 or can the Mâ€s win their first-ever American League title and finally reach the Fall Classic? The show wraps up with a discussion about College World Series champion manager Tony Vitello possibly joining the San Francisco Giants next season.

Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images

(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

1:55 – The Opener: Ohtaniâ€s amazing game

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14:45 – Dodgers win the NL pennant

22:51 – Where we stand in the ALCS

38:39 – Game 7 preview

43:52 – We Need to Talk About: Tony V to MLB?

🖥ï¸Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or atyahoosports.tv

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One fan is hoping to cash in on a part of Shohei Ohtani’s incredible performance during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

Ohtani launched three home runs in the 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, which propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series with the NLCS sweep. Video showed David Flores ended up with the third home run ball, and he said he plans on selling it.

“I have a 12-year-old son and his college is in his future,” Flores said, per Josh Peter of USA Today.

He also said, “It ricocheted to me and I just caught it like a baby and I squeezed it nice and tight, and it just happened that I stayed calm and I remained calm.”

Peter noted Carlo Mendoza said he found Ohtani’s second homer in bushes after it went over the right-center field pavilion roof, although there is no video to confirm as much. Steve Brener, who is in the Dodgers’ public relations department, “expressed skepticism about Mendoza’s claim,” per Peter.

Mendoza said he prefers to give the ball back to Ohtani.

The fate of the first home-run ball is unknown at this time.

Hitting three monster home runs in front of a raucous home crowd to lead the team to a second straight World Series would be an incredible performance on its own. But Ohtani also started the game on the mound as a pitcher.

All he did in that role was strike out 10 and allow two hits in six scoreless innings of work. It was another brilliant starting pitching performance for the Dodgers in the series after Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow impressed in the first three games.

Given what was at stake and the overall showing, it was arguably the most memorable game of Ohtani’s legendary career. It fully highlighted how unique of a player he is across all sports as he single-handedly took over the victory in multiple ways.

A souvenir from that performance could certainly be worth plenty of money, and Flores is hoping to receive the windfall.

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One fan is hoping to cash in on a part of Shohei Ohtani’s incredible performance during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

Ohtani launched three home runs in the 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, which propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series with the NLCS sweep. Video showed David Flores ended up with the third home run ball, and he said he plans on selling it.

“I have a 12-year-old son and his college is in his future,” Flores said, per Josh Peter of USA Today.

He also said, “It ricocheted to me and I just caught it like a baby and I squeezed it nice and tight, and it just happened that I stayed calm and I remained calm.”

Peter noted Carlo Mendoza said he found Ohtani’s second homer in bushes after it went over the right-center field pavilion roof, although there is no video to confirm as much. Steve Brener, who is in the Dodgers’ public relations department, “expressed skepticism about Mendoza’s claim,” per Peter.

Mendoza said he prefers to give the ball back to Ohtani.

The fate of the first home-run ball is unknown at this time.

Hitting three monster home runs in front of a raucous home crowd to lead the team to a second straight World Series would be an incredible performance on its own. But Ohtani also started the game on the mound as a pitcher.

All he did in that role was strike out 10 and allow two hits in six scoreless innings of work. It was another brilliant starting pitching performance for the Dodgers in the series after Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow impressed in the first three games.

Given what was at stake and the overall showing, it was arguably the most memorable game of Ohtani’s legendary career. It fully highlighted how unique of a player he is across all sports as he single-handedly took over the victory in multiple ways.

A souvenir from that performance could certainly be worth plenty of money, and Flores is hoping to receive the windfall.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are well on their way to a second, consecutive World Series title after a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series and will almost certainly open as favorites to win the Commissioner’s Trophy, regardless of whether they play Seattle or Toronto.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the team will not be silent this offseason, with the Dodgers expected to target Kyle Tucker.

The third baseman missed time due to injury but still hit .266 and accumulated 133 hits, 22 home runs, and 73 RBI, so it is easy to see why the franchise would be interested in adding him to their lineup.

The team possesses an option on Max Muncy’s contract, and should they choose not to pick it up, they would need a new third baseman, making the potential for Tucker’s arrival in the City of Angels even greater.

There is something to be said about chemistry, though, and its role in the Dodgers’ second World Series trip.

The roster in 2025 is nearly identical to that of the 2024 championship squad. The extent to which manager Dave Roberts knows his players and how to utilize them to get the desired outcome.

The players know each other’s tendencies and skill sets. Potentially replacing Muncy to bring in Tucker, while it would be an upgrade offensively on paper, may disrupt the chemistry the team has at this point and threaten to derail the closest thing to a dynasty MLB has had since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.

For that reason, while it is mighty appealing to add another superstar player to a lineup full of them, it is best not to toy with a good thing.

Especially if the 2025 squad is able to become the first repeat champions since those same Yankees.

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Wow, what a week in sports. USC defeats Michigan, a Dodger pitches a complete game for the first time in the postseason since 2004 and they sweep the Brewers to go to the World Series for the second consecutive year after being 0-6 against Milwaukee during the regular season. Perhaps Michael Conforto will be added to the roster and win MVP in the World Series.

Jeff Hershow
Woodland Hills

While basically sleepwalking through the first three games of the NLCS, Shohei Ohtani saves his best for last. He goes “Hollywood†and produces the single greatest performance in MLB history as the final curtain comes down on the Milwaukee Brewers and extends the Dodgers’ magical journey to repeat as World Series champions.

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Stay tuned for the sequel!

Rick Solomon
Lake Balboa

Itâ€s a bird, itâ€s a plane … no, itâ€s superhuman Shohei! He pitches a shutout, strikes out 10, and hits three tape-measure home runs. Wow!

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

In the history of Major League Baseball, has there ever been a player like Shohei Ohtani? I don’t think so. Shohei is the best ever. Enough said.

Chris Sorce
Fountain Valley

Now that the Dodgers have effortlessly powered their way back into the World Series, itâ€s quite obvious that $400 million actually does buy what it used to!

Jack Wolf
Westwood

At last, the second coming of the Dodgers has happened. We’ve been waiting for it and hoping for it, and now it’s here. Great offense, great defense and superb pitching. Our new chant should be “all the way L.A., all the way.”

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Cheryl Creek
Anaheim

Statistically speaking, there is a case to be made in comparing the postseason accomplishments of Sandy Koufax and Blake Snell. From a historical perspective, there is no comparison.

Koufax is a legendary lifetime Dodger who pitched until he physically was no longer able to do so. Snell famously refused to take the ball in his last Giants start to save himself for a free agency money windfall.

Bill Waxman
Simi Valley

Stop the presses! The world is still spinning on its axis! Holy Toledo, Dave Roberts finally figured out a starting pitcher’s arm doesn’t fall off after 100 pitches. Too bad he didn’t come to that revelation during Blake Snell’s Game 1 performance, but better late than never as the saying goes.

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Ken Blake
Brea

Money men

For many of us (back here in the Heartland), Sal Frelickâ€s miraculous play in Game 1 represents the “never give up†spirit of the Brewers. You can have all the money in world, but it cannot buy that type of magic. And if the Dodgers do defeat the Brewers, then MLB must ask themselves whether or not limitless money should be allowed to kill that type of team spirit.

If the Dodgers do indeed roll on, then for another minute we will be awestruck by the relentless, money-fueled, dancing Dodger machine. However after a few more moments of watching the smug glow from Hollywood, many of us (back here in the heartland) will just be turning it off!

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Ken Kraus
Georgetown, Texas

Quality stuff

I just finished reading the in-depth piece on Roki Sasaki by Jack Harris and all I can say is WOW! I get sports news from many sources but Los Angeles Times beats everything else, no contest. Learning about all the behind-the-scenes machinations that brought Sasaki from an injured, defeated rookie to the postseason MVP and Dodgers’ season savior was fascinating and gives me a deeper appreciation for the struggles he faces. Keep up the great work: Dodgers, Sasaki, and L.A. Times!!!

Cheryl Norris
Simi Valley

End of the line?

Very disappointing to read about the athletic director at UCLA unaware of what true leadership is, and how best to apply it, in support of a team not giving up and willing to fight the remainder of this season.

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Coaches are being terminated due to mismanagement of teams, so why not the Bruins’ AD?

J.R. Flores
Cypress

Time to punt

Coach Sean McVay’s lack of urgency with the Rams’ kicking game is beyond frustrating. The kicker and the special teams coach should have been fired after the Eagles game. Instead these problems, which have lingered since last season, are still here. The Rams need to have a kicking game they can depend on for points. With a good chance to make the playoffs, the time to make a change is now.

Mike Gamboa
Buena Park

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

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Email: sports@latimes.com

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Oct 18, 2025, 09:15 AM ET

Shohei Ohtani put the exclamation point of exclamation points on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, striking out 10 in six shutout innings on the mound and blasting three home runs at the plate in Friday’s Game 4.

The Dodgers will face the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.

Editor’s Picks

The Mariners, behind a game-tying solo home run from Cal Raleigh and a grand slam by Eugenio Suarez slam during a five-run eighth inning, knocked off the Blue Jays in Game 5 on Friday to take a 3-2 lead in the ALCS. It was the first win by the home team in the series.

Game 6 is Sunday in Toronto. The Blue Jays would host a Game 7 on Monday if they can extend the series.

For more on the MLB playoffs, check out live MLB playoff analysis and updates, as well as each team’s odds to win the World Series.

Odds as of publish time. For more, visit ESPN BET Sportsbook.

Cal Raleigh’s fourth home run of the playoffs evened the score in Friday’s Game 5. Steph Chambers/Getty Images

ALCS

Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Game 6: Sunday, 8:03 p.m. ET (FS1)

• Starters: TBD vs. Trey Yesavage

• Money line: Blue Jays -125, Mariners +105

• Spread: Blue Jays -1.5 (+170), Mariners +1.5 (-215)

• Run total: 7.5 (Over -105, Under -115)

Game 7*: Monday, 8:08 p.m. ET (FOX/FS1)
*If necessary

Game 1: Mariners 3, Blue Jays 1
Game 2: Mariners 10, Blue Jays 3
Game 3:Blue Jays 13, Mariners 4
Game 4: Blue Jays 8, Mariners 2
Game 5: Mariners 6, Blue Jays 2

NLCS

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Dodgers win series, 4-0

Game 1: Dodgers 2, Brewers 1
Game 2: Dodgers 5, Brewers 1
Game 3: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
Game 4: Dodgers, 5, Brewers 1

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LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani did something that has never happened before in the annals of postseason baseball.

Ohtani took the mound to start against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. He walked the first batter and then struck out the next three on the way to six shutout innings.

He then led off the bottom of the first inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers and parked a full-count pitch deep into the right field pavilion, his first of three homers on the night.

Not even Babe Ruth did that. But Ohtani did, showing everyone why the Dodgers were willing to pay him $700 million over 10 years, with $680 million of that money deferred.

“That first inning. It was amazing,” said Dodgers owner Mark Walter, the NL championship trophy nestled in his arms after the Dodgers claimed the best-of-seven series by sweeping the Brewers with a 5-1 win, booking a spot in their second straight World Series. “There’s not much more you can ask from a player.”

The first inning heroics was only the beginning of the night for Ohtani, whose three homers were wedged into a pitching performance that went into the seventh inning. He left at 100 pitches without allowing a run on two hits. He walked three and struck out 10, and he was credited with his second win in two starts this postseason. Ohtani’s historic Game 4 earned him the series MVP.

“You can’t script this,” Walter said. “Six innings of shutout ball and three home runs? That’s crazy.”

The three homers totaled 1,342 feet, the second in the fourth inning striking the right field pavilion roof some 469 feet away where few players have feared to tread. It hit the roof and rolled off into the concession area behind it.

“That was the greatest postseason performance of all time and there have been a lot of postseason games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s a reason why he’s the greatest player on the planet. What he did on the mound. What he did with the bat. He created a lot of memories for a lot of people.”

The Brewers, whose 97-65 record was the best in MLB this season, were inept in the series scoring five runs on 14 hits in the four games.

“We were part of an iconic performance, maybe the best individual performance ever in a postseason game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, echoing the common sentiment. “I don’t think anybody can argue with that. A guy punches out 10 and hits three homers. I’m proud of our team, but it came to an end tonight.”

The Brewers had previously handled Ohtani well; in the first three games, they held him to 2-for-11 in the series with no homers, five whiffs and a .721 OPS. He finished the series 5-for-14 while his OPS leapt to 1.643 with the results of the one game. He’s had five homers now in the postseason, all of which came in two games; he had two homers in Game 1 of a Wild Card Series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

“The last couple days I felt pretty good at the plate,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “And just because of the postseason, the small sample size, the lack of performance really skews in this short period of time.”

Still, between a four-game victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in an NL Division Series and this NLCS, Ohtani has struggled. He went 6-for-32 (.188) with the three homers, five RBIs, 14 strikeouts and six walks, three of them intentional.

His slump lifted Friday night.

“He’s probably the greatest free agent signing of all-time,” Walter, who signed Ohtani in late 2023, said. “I mean, he’s unbelievable. We’re just lucky to have him.”

The Dodgers bring in over $100 million a season in marketing and advertising from Asian firms, thanks to their three Japanese pitchers: Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaski.

“We make a lot of money from those guys, for sure,” Walter said. “But it takes a team to win, it really does.”

The Dodgers will play either the Seattle Mariners or the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series beginning Friday night in either Los Angeles or Toronto, depending on the results of the American League Championship Series. The Mariners lead 3-2 with Game 6 on Sunday night at Rogers Centre. Game 7 is on Monday night, if necessary.

In Seattle on Friday night, the Mariners were trailing the Blue Jays, 2-1, in the eighth inning in T-Mobile Park when Cal Raleigh tied it with his fourth playoff homer. He led Major League Baseball with 60 on the season this year.

Raleigh’s homer happened almost simultaneously to Ohtani’s first-inning blast about 1,000 miles away. Eugenio Suarez followed Raleigh with a grand slam later in the inning to seal the 6-2 win, sending the Mariners back to Toronto with two chances of qualifying for the World Series, a first in franchise history.

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Would the Dodgers have paid $4 million for Shohei Ohtaniâ€s production on Friday night?

“Maybe I would have,†team owner Mark Walter said with a laugh.

Four million dollars is how much Ohtani has received from the Dodgers.

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Not for the game. Not for the week. Not for the year.

For this year and last year.

Ohtani could be the greatest player in baseball history. Is he also the greatest free-agent acquisition of all-time?

“You bet,†Walter said.

Even before Ohtani blasted three homers and struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings in a historic performance to secure his teamâ€s place in the World Series, the Dodgers were a target of complaints over the perception they were buying championships. Their payroll this season is more than $416 million, according to Spotrac.

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During the on-field celebration that followed the 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts told the Dodger Stadium crowd, “Iâ€ll tell you, before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Letâ€s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!â€

What detractors ignore is how the Dodgers arenâ€t the only team that spent big dollars this year to chase a title. As Ohtaniâ€s contract demonstrates, itâ€s how they spend that separates them from the sportâ€s other wealthy franchises.

The New York Mets spent more than $340 million, the New York Yankees $319 million and the Philadelphia Phillies $308 million. None of them are still playing.

The Dodgers are still playing, and one of the reasons is because of how opportunistic they are.

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When the Boston Red Sox were looking for a place to dump Mookie Betts before he became a free agent, the Dodgers traded for him and signed him to an extension. When the Atlanta Braves refused to extend a six-year offer to Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers stepped in and did.

Something else that helps: Players want to play for them.

Consider the case of the San Francisco Giants, who canâ€t talk star players into taking their money.

The Giants pursued Bryce Harper, who turned them down. They pursued Aaron Judge, who turned them down. They pursued Ohtani, who turned them down. They pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who turned them down.

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Notice a pattern?

Unable to recruit an impact hitter in free agency, the Giants turned their attention to the trade market and acquired a distressed asset in malcontent Rafael Devers. They still missed the postseason.

The Dodgers donâ€t have any such problems attracting talent. Classified as an international amateur because he was under the age of 25, Roki Sasaki was eligible to sign only a minor-league contract this winter. While the signing bonuses that could be offered varied from team to team, the differences were relatively small. Sasaki was urged by his agent to minimize financial considerations when picking a team.

Sasaki chose the Dodgers.

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Players such as Blake Snell, Will Smith and Max Muncy signed what could be below-market deals to come to or stay with the Dodgers.

There is also the Ohtani factor.

Ohtani didnâ€t want the team that signed him to be financially hamstrung, which is why he insisted that it defer the majority of his 10-year, $700-million contract. The Dodgers are paying Ohtani just $2 million annually, with the remainder owed after he retires.

Without Ohtani agreeing to delayed payments, who knows if the Dodgers would have signed the other pitchers who comprise their dominant rotation, Yamamoto, Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

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None of this is to say the Dodgers havenâ€t made any mistakes, the $102 million they committed to Trevor Bauer a decision they would certainly like to take back.

But the point is they spend.

“We put money into the team, as you know,†Walter said. “Weâ€re trying to win.â€

Nothing is stopping any other team from making the financial commitments necessary to compete with the Dodgers. Franchises donâ€t have to make annual profits to be lucrative, as their values have skyrocketed. Teams that were purchased for hundreds of millions of dollars are now worth billions.

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Example: Arte Moreno bought the Angels in 2003 for $183.5 million. Forbes values them today at $2.75 billion. If or when Moreno sells the team, he will receive a huge return on his investment.

The calls for a salary cap are nothing more than justifications by cheap owners for their refusal to invest in the civic institutions under their control.

The Dodgers arenâ€t ruining baseball. They might not do everything right, but as far as their spending is concerned, theyâ€re doing right by their fans.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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You. And you. And you too.

You all ripped the Dodgers for standing fairly pat at the trade deadline, despite glaring holes in left field and in the bullpen. Heck, this was the headline in this very newspaper: “Andrew Friedman struck out on the Dodgers†urgent need for a closer.â€

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How ever would the Dodgers return to the World Series?

The San Diego Padres had crept within three games of the Dodgers, and they had given up one of their two elite prospects for Mason Miller. The Philadelphia Phillies, a team that would finish with more wins than the Dodgers in the regular season, had swapped prospects for Jhoan Duran.

The Dodgers, the team that had spent $85 million on veteran relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates over the winter, had gotten their last three saves from Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Ben Casparius. Their trade deadline pickups: Brock Stewart, a setup man who soon would be lost to injury for the season, and Alex Call, a fourth outfielder.

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The Padres will not represent the National League in the World Series. Neither will the Phillies.

The Dodgers will, so that was Friedman late Friday night, drenched in celebratory alcohol after a championship series sweep, sloshing through pools of liquid forming on plastic sheeting.

You love him now. Three months ago, you crushed him.

“Yeah,†he said with a shrug. “It comes with it.â€

Friedman, the Dodgers†president of baseball operations, appreciates your passion, if not your advice.

“The thing I canâ€t do is make moves based on what people think we should do,†he said. “Weâ€re going to make mistakes. Weâ€re going to be aggressive taking shots.

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“Our goal is to be essentially the casino: be right more than weâ€re wrong, and have it yield a really good product that has a chance to win the World Series.â€

To be the casino means to have options, and to hit on one of them, rather than depending on only one option.

“Our thing on not acquiring some pitching was, we thought we were going to be leaving talented pitchers off our playoff roster as is,†Friedman said. “It wasnâ€t as front of mind as it was for others.â€

Letâ€s rewind here.

In left field, the Dodgers had to decide whether to acquire a productive bat for a corner outfield spot and release Michael Conforto, pick up a platoon partner for him, or let him ride. They picked up Alex Call, with an unannounced postseason contingency.

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“I will say Kiké (Hernández) — trading for him last year, re-signing him this year — that was part of the calculus, given his postseason pedigree,†Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So thatâ€s not something that was lost on us.â€

It ainâ€t bragging if you back it up. The Dodgers include October on their schedule every year, so they could afford to carry Hernández and his .255 on-base percentage and 0.1 WAR for six months because he conveniently transforms into a star for one month. Hernandez can play anywhere in the infield or outfield.

The Dodgers did not include Conforto on their playoff roster. Hernández has started every game this postseason, with a .375 OBP.

That took care of left field.

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The closer?

Dodgers catcher Will Smith hugs pitcher Roki Sasaki after the final out of Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Friedman believed the Dodgers had enough good arms that one would emerge, even with so many quality arms available in trade. He readily admits he had no idea Roki Sasaki would be the one, as Sasaki was on the injured list at the trade deadline and did not emerge as a reliever until mid-September.

“We said internally that things are lining up that we are going to be at the peak of our health in October,†Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “And, if thatâ€s the case, we love our rotation, we love our lineup, and we love our bullpen.â€

Still, while the starters were headed toward health, the Dodgers made an audacious bet in not adding a late-inning relief arm. Scott, Yates, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech and Evan Phillips all were injured, ineffective, or both.

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In the postseason, Sasaki has given up one run and three hits in eight innings. He has three saves, as many as Yates had in the regular season.

“Those trades in July for relievers? Thatâ€s why we tried to do what we did in the offseason: be aggressive,†Friedman said.

“Not only are the prices out of whack, the same reliever volatility that we were suffering from in that moment can still happen after you make a trade.â€

Miller and Duran — and, for that matter, David Bednar — performed well for their new teams. Camilo Doval and Ryan Helsley did not. So the Dodgers kept their prospects and determined some kind of solution would come from within.

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“What we werenâ€t going to do was do something that we felt was foolish just to placate in that moment,†Friedman said, “and thatâ€s how we have to try to operate and explain it as clearly as we can.

“That said, weâ€re going to make mistakes. Weâ€re going to make mistakes quite often, and our goal is to learn from them and try to be right more than weâ€re wrong.â€

What appeared in the moment to be two big mistakes turned out not to be. Friedman has built two World Series champions within five years, with a third seemingly on deck, so he does not appear to be a moron, no matter what you might see on social media or in the comments section.

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Perhaps the Dodgers†World Series berth might silence his skeptics among the fan base.

“Theyâ€re enjoying the success,†Friedman said. “And Iâ€m glad they are.â€

Winning the trade deadline is not the goal. Winning a championship trophy is, and the sometimes confounding but always contending Dodgers are four victories away.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Shohei Ohtani delivered one of the greatest performances in baseball history as defending champions the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers to reach the World Series.

Japan’s Ohtani smashed three huge home runs and struck out 10 Brewers batters in a comprehensive 5-1 victory as the Dodgers swept the series 4-0.

The 31-year-old’s trifecta of home runs and 10 strikeouts in the same game is a Major League Baseball post-season record, highlighting a rare talent of excelling with bat and ball.

Ohtani also became the first pitcher since the Boston Braves’ Jim Tobin in 1942 to hit three home runs in the same game.

“It was really fun on both sides of the ball today,” said Ohtani, who was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for his heroics.

“I’m taking this trophy and let’s get four more wins. We won it as a team and this is really a team effort. I hope everybody in LA and Japan and all over the world could enjoy a really good sake [Japanese rice wine].”

Ohtani’s entered the game at the Dodger Stadium on the back of an eight-game home run drought, but led from the front as he struck out three batters in the opening frame.

He then starred with the bat in a performance which included a crushing 446 foot home run and a monster 469 foot hit which bounced out of the stadium.

It marked another historic showing from Ohtani, who last year became the first player ever to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

“That was probably the greatest post-season performance of all time,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

“There’s a reason why he’s the greatest player on the planet. It’s kind of whatever you don’t expect, expect him to do it.

“This is just a performance that I’ve just never seen. No-one’s ever seen something like this. I’m still in awe right now of Shohei.”

The Dodgers’ comfortable victory sets up a World Series showdown against the Toronto Blue Jays or Seattle Mariners, with the latter 3-2 up in the best-of-seven series.

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