Showy? Absolutely! Most definitely! Zettai. Machigainai! Shohei Ohtani’s performance in the final game to win the National League pennant is historic. Sportscasters are calling it the best single performance in an MLB game ever. Some are questioning if it is the best performance in a single game in the history of professional sports.
On offense, Shohei went 3 for 3, with one walk. All three hits were home runs. On defense, he pitched six innings of shutout ball, striking out 10 batters. He was a one-man wrecking crew, superlative on offense and defense. He is the only player pitching and hitting in the playoffs since the universal DH (Designated Hitter) rule in 2022. He is the first player since Babe Ruth, in 1918, to hit two homers while pitching in a postseason game. He is the only player in MLB history to pitch 10 strikeouts and hit three home runs in a game.
Shohei did it in postseason play to clinch the NLCS (National League Championship Series) title. Dominating! One homer launched out of the ballpark 469 feet, clearing the centerfield grandstand roof. Viral memes have it plunking down in the Pacific Ocean; no other home run was hit out of Dodger Stadium in playoff history. The look on Freddie Freeman’s face as he watched Shohei’s towering home-run ball leave the park pretty much says it all. It’s a look of shock, joy and knowing amazement that he is in the stadium where it happened. Wow! One for the ages.
Fun Facts: For 130 years, the only pitcher to hit three homers in an MLB game was Jim Tobin, in 1942. Tobin had zero strikeouts in a 6-5 win; Shohei had 10 in a 4-0 shutout. Shohei joined MLB in 2017 and has had a few injuries, including shoulder and knee surgeries, making his achievements and this historic game perhaps more notable.
Baseball has a long history in Japan. It was introduced in 1859 when Japan opened to the West, just six years after Commodore Perry arrived, and only 14 years after New York’s Knickerbocker Base Ball Club formulated baseball’s rules. Early games in Japan were reportedly played with three bases. Second base was excluded for lack of space in crowded areas. Ground balls were somewhat of a rule, with teams competing to get players around the bases Samurai-style—emphasizing respect, perseverance and group harmony.
Baseball is now Japan’s most popular sport by attendance and participation. In 2025, attendance at Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) games averaged 25,000 people per game.
