Copyright yardbarker
What Shohei Ohtani is doing in this World Series will go down in the history books. After a Game 3 for the ages, will he be able to keep it going tonight in Game 4? The Blue Jays Have Given Up on Pitching to Him After watching Ohtani go 4-for-4 with two home runs and two doubles in Game 3’s marathon 18-inning affair, Blue Jays Manager John Schneider finally threw in the towel. He started flashing four fingers from the dugout—the universal sign for “we’d rather face literally anyone else.” And honestly? Can you blame him? Ohtani became the first player in postseason history to record multiple homers, multiple doubles, AND multiple walks in a single game. He reached base nine times—the most ever in a playoff game. Nine times. In an 18-inning slugfest that lasted six hours and 39 minutes, Ohtani was the one constant: relentless, unstoppable, almost annoyingly excellent. “He’s a unicorn,” Freddie Freeman said after his walk-off homer ended the madness. “There’s no more adjectives you can use to describe Shohei.” Freeman’s right. We’ve run out of words. Generational? That doesn’t cut it anymore. Once-in-a-lifetime? Try once-in-ten-lifetimes. Breaking Down Ohtani’s Historic Night Let’s walk through what Ohtani did to Toronto’s pitching staff, because it deserves a moment of respect (and maybe some sympathy for the Blue Jays). Ohtani Will Be Pitching Game 4 Of the World Series Here’s where it gets truly absurd. After spending nine at-bats terrorizing Toronto’s entire pitching staff, after running the bases so many times he cramped up in extra innings, Ohtani will take the mound Tuesday night as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher. Seventeen hours and 20 minutes after Game 3 ended, he’ll throw the first pitch of Game 4 of the World Series. “He’s spent,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “He was on base eight, nine times tonight, running the bases. He’s elated. But yeah, he’s taking the mound tomorrow. He’ll be ready.” Of course he will. Because that’s what Ohtani does. When you ask if he can handle more, he shifts into another gear. When you wonder if the two-way thing can work at this level, he dominates both sides of the ball in the same game. What This Means For Game 4 Of the World Series The Dodgers desperately need Ohtani to go deep in Game 4 of the World Series. They used all 10 pitchers in their Game 3 win. Even Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw a complete game two days earlier, volunteered to pitch in the 19th inning if necessary. The bullpen is gassed. Ohtani knows this. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned about him, it’s that he thrives under pressure. The bigger the stage, the brighter he shines. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, face a nightmare scenario. They’ve decided they can’t pitch to Ohtani with a bat in his hands. But on Tuesday, they’ll have no choice but to hit against him. And Toronto doesn’t strike out much—they’ll work counts, challenge him to make pitches, try to drive up his pitch count knowing the Dodgers are thin behind him. The GOAT Conversation Isn’t a Conversation Anymore “He’s a freak,” said Dodgers Reliever Will Klein, who somehow pitched four scoreless innings in relief. “I don’t know how anyone can do what he does. Being the best hitter and the best pitcher in the league. I don’t think there’s a word to describe it other than he’s the GOAT.” Klein’s got a point. We’ve spent years debating who deserves the title of baseball’s greatest player. Ruth? Bonds? Mays? Williams? But Ohtani is making those arguments feel quaint. He’s not just excelling at one aspect of the game—he’s rewriting what’s possible entirely. The cramping in extra innings? He stayed in the game. The exhaustion from carrying his team through an 18-inning marathon? He’ll sleep it off and pitch on Tuesday. The weight of a franchise desperate to repeat as champions? He makes it look light. What Happens Next Game 4 of the World Series will be tonight at Dodger Stadium with the Dodgers holding a 2-1 series lead. Ohtani will try to pitch his team to the brink of a championship. The Blue Jays will try to solve a puzzle that has no answer. And somewhere, baseball historians are already updating their record books, knowing full well they’ll need to do it again tonight. Because when you’re watching Shohei Ohtani in October, you’re not just watching baseball. You’re watching someone redefine what the sport can be.
