Ohtani ends 25-game HR drought as Brewers sweep NLCS — SkimNews
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- Shohei Ohtani unloaded a 428-foot three-run homer to right field in the second inning off Brewers right-hander Dustin May, putting the Dodgers up 4-0 and marking his first home run since Aug. 18 and first extra-base hit of the postseason.
- The Brewers answered with a comeback, winning 6-4 to sweep the NLCS and advance to the World Series, with the Dodgers' lone NLCS homer ironically coming in the elimination game.
- Entering Game 4, Ohtani had slashed .156/.283/.200 since Aug. 18 with only three singles in 20 postseason at-bats, and Los Angeles had managed just two extra-base hits across the first three NLCS games.
- Manager Dave Roberts moved Ohtani into the leadoff spot against Brewers lefty Shane Drohan — his first start atop the order versus a lefty since Sept. 2 — after Ohtani was "adamant" and "convicted" he was close to breaking out mechanically despite considering giving him a rest day.
- Roberts acknowledged he didn't tell Ohtani about the lineup swap, saying with a wry grin, "I just posted the lineup," after Ohtani's prior Game 3 performance included a 113.5 mph single and a walk.
- The Dodgers' .572 postseason OPS ranked 240th out of 246 teams that have played at least seven games in a single postseason, underscoring just how anemic their offense had been heading into Game 4.
Why it matters: Ohtani's drought-breaking swing produced the Dodgers' first NLCS homer but couldn't prevent a four-game sweep, sending Milwaukee to the World Series while exposing an offense that ranked 240th out of 246 qualifying postseason teams in OPS. For Ohtani personally, the at-bat offered validation of Roberts' decision to keep him in the lineup rather than rest his ailing body — a gamble that paid off in highlight-reel fashion even as the series slipped away.
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