Shohei Ohtani does it all in otherworldly night to send Dodgers back to World Series

LOS ANGELES — The Sho’ on the mound was great, and the one at the plate even better.All of it Friday spelled maybe the most dominant single-game performance by a player in postseason history. Shohei Ohtani owned the Brewers from the batter’s box and pitching rubber, sending the Dodgers to the World Series with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 of the NLCS to complete the series sweep. Ohtani blasted three homers and fired six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in helping the Dodgers secure a second straight NL pennant and fifth in nine years.

Ohtani, who was named MVP of the series, became the first player in MLB history, regular season or postseason, with a three-homer game as a hitter with 10 strikeouts as a pitcher. “That was probably the greatest postseason performance of all time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.“There’s been a lot of postseason games and there is a reason why he is the greatest player on the planet.” The Dodgers, who are 9-1 this postseason, are within four victories of becoming the first team since the Yankees in 2000 to win a second straight World Series title.

The Yankees won three straight titles from 1998-2000. The Dodgers will face either the Mariners or Blue Jays in the World Series beginning Friday.If the Mariners advance, the series will open at Dodger Stadium.

Otherwise, the series will open in Toronto. Ohtani’s gem from the mound was just the latest by a Dodgers pitcher.Overall, the Dodgers allowed just four runs in the four games.

Blake Snell’s shutout over eight innings in Game 1 — in which he faced the minimum 24 batters — set the standard, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani all had superb outings. “I really focused on to make sure I am an effective starting pitcher,” Ohtani said of his night through an interpreter. He entered the day hitting just .158 this postseason. “This time around, it was my turn to be able to perform,” Ohtani said.“I think looking back over the cours...