LOS ANGELES -- For the first time in a while, Shohei Ohtani took a swing that matched the song that accompanies his walk up to the plate. He certainly looked like he was “Feeling Good” as he watched the ball come off his bat for his first homer in nearly two months.
With the Dodgers on the brink of being eliminated by the Brewers in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, Ohtani picked an opportune time to hit his first home run of this postseason. His three-run blast off former teammate Dustin May helped L.A. put up a four-spot in the second inning of a must-win game on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, though the Dodgers were unable to hold the lead, eventually losing, 6-4, to be swept by Milwaukee.
It was Ohtani's first homer since Aug. 18, breaking a career-high streak of 115 plate appearances without a long ball (regular season and postseason). In that span, he had only one RBI before Thursday's action.
One year ago, in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, Ohtani almost singlehandedly secured the Dodgers' sweep of the Brewers with a three-homer, 10-strikeout masterpiece of a two-way performance. His homer on Thursday was a good start as his Dodgers looked to avoid being swept back this year.
For the win-or-go-home Game 4, Ohtani was back in the leadoff spot for the first time this postseason. He was slumping so badly that he hit as low as sixth in Game 3, when the Dodgers were considering sitting their superstar as he dealt with right biceps and left knee injuries that had lingered since at least June.
But Ohtani was "adamant," manager Dave Roberts said, that he felt good enough to play and was close to figuring something out at the plate. He took a key walk and hit a 113.5 mph single -- his hardest-hit ball since June 20 -- in Game 3, giving Roberts reason to place him back atop the order in Game 4.
The first time Michael Bublé's "Feeling Good" played to open the Dodgers' half of the first inning, Ohtani went down swinging against Brewers opener Shane Drohan. But with two on and two out in the second inning, Ohtani came up big, sending a 1-1 cutter from May a Statcast-projected 428 feet to right field at 113.1 mph off the bat.