Shohei Ohtani: the guiding light for LA’s World Series

Lydia Paul 

Anchor Contributor

Continuing to solidify himself as one of the best two-way baseball players in history, Shohei Ohtani once again led the Los Angeles Dodgers to victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series.

The 18-inning contest, tied for the most innings in one game in Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason history, was an over six hour long display of America’s pastime. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ohtani tied the score, five runs to each team, bringing the Dodgers closer to a win. This tie, however, lasted for the next eleven innings. It was not until Freddie Freeman, in the bottom of the 18th, scored on a walk-off home run to bring the Dodgers to a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays. 

Of those six runs scored by the Dodgers, three of them were from Ohtani. “I want to go to sleep as soon as possible so I can get ready,” he said through his interpreter at the game’s conclusion; even after a long and successful game, he kept his eyes looking forward.

As a two-way player, he has further opportunity to excel in the sport through batting as well as pitching. In the 2025 regular season, he managed to hit 55 home runs; the number for an average MLB player is closer to 20. As a pitcher, he averages more strikeouts per game than the typical pitcher within the MLB.

Image of Ohtani at bat from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohei_Ohtani

Now playing in his eighth season in the MLB, Ohtani has broken records and barriers that have existed in American baseball for years. He became the first player since 1906 to get four extra-base hits– as well as the first player ever to get on base nine times– within a single playoff game. In the 2024 season, he also became the first player to ever get 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases within the same season.

Earlier this month, Ohtani made statistically the best performance that a two-way player can: ten strikeouts in six innings, with no runs scored by the opposing team and three home runs hit within one game. Playing against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), this presentation placed him among some of the best performing ball players in the post-season realm.

Born in Oshu, Japan, Ohtani moved to the United States in 2017 at the age of 23 when he was signed to the Los Angeles Angels; his first team in the MLB. Six years later, following the end of his contract, he signed with the LA Dodgers, where he remains today. At the time of its signing, his contract with the Dodgers was the largest contract in MLB history, awarding him $700 million over ten years.

The next few days will bring a conclusion to the 2025 World Series and will likely see Ohtani making many more steps into the MLB history books. “What matters the most is we flip the page and play the next game,” he said.