LOS ANGELES -- For a brief moment on Thursday night, Shohei Ohtani looked exactly like the superstar the Dodgers needed to save their season. His swing finally matching the Michael Bublé track that accompanied his walk to the plate, his three-run blast seemed ready to spark an improbable comeback.
Yet October baseball rarely honors a Hollywood script.
Ohtani had his moment. But it was only one moment in a grueling postseason in which he spent weeks battling through lingering physical limitations. The Dodgers’ season officially ended in a 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, finalizing a four-game sweep. While Ohtani's second-inning home run provided an early spark, it is his seventh-inning strikeout that may serve as the lasting image of his night.
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers pieced together a genuine threat. Andy Pages led off with a double and advanced to third on a Kiké Hernández sacrifice bunt. With one out and the tying run 90 feet away, Ohtani stepped in against Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby.
He struck out swinging. Mookie Betts grounded out right after him, stranding Pages and ending one of L.A.’s final chances to prolong its season.
"The Brewers were overall strong and a very good team, and it really showed," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "[They] exposed some of the parts of me as a player, and got to give some credit to that."
His final line on Thursday -- 1-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and three strikeouts -- summed up his October. While he still possessed the raw power for a game-changing swing, the lingering effects of his injuries left him vulnerable.
It was a very different scene from last October, when in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS against Milwaukee, Ohtani capped a sweep with a three-homer performance on the same night he struck out 10 as a pitcher. This time, he was battling just to put a healthy swing on the ball. After Ohtani batted sixth in Game 3, manager Dave Roberts moved him back to the leadoff spot on Thursday for the first time since Sept. 27.
The move initially paid off. In the second inning, Ohtani jumped on a 1-1 cutter from former teammate Dustin May to snap a career-high 115-plate appearance streak without a long ball (dating back to Aug. 18). He had driven in just one run during that stretch. As the ball cleared the wall to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, Ohtani uncharacteristically turned toward his dugout and yelled.
"It was something that you don't see very often from Shohei. I think it was a lot of pent-up anger, frustration," Roberts said. "It was the best ball he hit in probably two, three months. So for him to look at the dugout, show that emotion, it just shows how much he cares. He's still human."
That human element defined Ohtani's entire autumn. While Ohtani insisted he felt good enough to play, his timing and mechanics were clearly hindered by injuries that had already forced him off the mound. Ohtani last pitched on July 3 before being scratched ahead of the All-Star break due to left knee soreness and right biceps discomfort. Though he attempted a throwing progression, the Dodgers officially confirmed in September that he would not pitch again in 2026.
Ohtani spent the postseason grinding through at-bats while trying to carry the lineup's highest expectations.
"The homer was great. Obviously he ended up striking out three times, but it was a big hit," Roberts said. “I'll always trust Shohei. I think he's the best player on the planet, and he's not completely healthy. But I just give him a lot of respect for not running from it. Still wanting to participate, still wanting to play when he's not 100 percent."
For Ohtani, the abrupt finish marked a sober evaluation of what this year demanded from his body.
"[I'm] not quite satisfied with how things shaped up on the pitching side at the end of the year," Ohtani said. "This year, I haven't pitched and I haven't pitched in the postseason. You know, I haven't been able to really come to grips in terms of what I've learned overall this season. It's something that I'm going to kind of go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, training program, and see what I can come up with for next season."
When asked whether he intends to pitch next year, Ohtani didn't hesitate.
"Yes, definitely," Ohtani said. "And looking forward to having a better season next year."
As for whether that path includes another procedure remains an open question heading into the winter.
"Hard to tell at this point," Ohtani said. "It's something that's going to be analyzed, discussed over the offseason, and see if that's a viable thing to do."
As the Brewers celebrated an NL pennant on the Dodger Stadium grass, Ohtani was already turning his focus toward the future, choosing to view a painful month as foundation rather than failure.
"I'm just very grateful that we were able to spend time as a team,” Ohtani said. “And although we fell short and definitely disappointed, I want to use this as a catalyst to have a better season as a team, too."