Ohtani’s Historic Game Powers Dodgers’ Sweep

Shohei Ohtani produced a historic Game 4 in the NLCS, hitting three home runs (each over 400 feet and combining about 1,342 feet) and striking out 10 while allowing six scoreless innings to clinch the series. The Dodgers' 5–1 victory completed a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers and sent Los Angeles back to the World Series; Ohtani was named NLCS MVP. Los Angeles’s starting rotation — Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani — combined for a 0.63 ERA and held Milwaukee to a .118 series batting average. The sweep capped a 9–1 postseason run for the defending champions, even as manager Dave Roberts shrugged off criticism of the club’s near-$400 million payroll, saying, “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.” Meanwhile the ALCS shifted toward Toronto as the Seattle Mariners took a 3–2 lead after a five-run eighth in Game 5; Game 6 is set for Sunday in Toronto with a potential Game 7 on Monday.