Shohei Ohtani finally got the monkey off his back on Thursday night — and celebrated accordingly.
Ohtani entered the contest with questions about whether he even deserved a spot in the lineup for the do-or-die NLCS Game 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers. With the Dodgers trailing the series 0-3, he earned his spot by his second at-bat at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Japanese superstar came up to bat with two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning against Brewers pitcher Dustin May. Shohei golfed a 1-1 cutter to deep right-center field for a no-doubt three-run homer to put the Dodgers up 4-0.
This was Shohei Ohtani’s first home run since Aug. 18. Never seen this sort of emotion from him after a homer. https://t.co/VzWHMPr2nH
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 16, 2026
Check out this other angle of Ohtani screaming his lungs out.
The reaction from Shohei Ohtani as he broke his home run drought! https://t.co/NUtwYqFvvh
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 16, 2026
The home run was Ohtani’s first in nearly two full months, and his reaction felt like it. He celebrated the postseason big fly with as much fire as Pete Crow-Armstrong would, as the ball sailed into the Dodger Stadium stands…