Shohei Ohtani showcased one of the most outstanding performances in baseball history on Friday night, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to secure a spot in the World Series.

The Japanese two-way star dominated the game by pitching six innings without allowing a run, giving up only two hits, and astonishing the crowd with three home runs in a single night.

Ohtani, who joined the Dodgers with a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, made history by hitting the first leadoff home run ever by a pitcher. This stunning 446-foot shot came right after he fanned three batters in the opening inning.

With this victory, Ohtani and the Dodgers are set to face off against either the Seattle Mariners or the Toronto Blue Jays, aiming to claim consecutive World Series titles.

Fans across the globe watched in amazement, quickly taking to social media to praise Ohtani as surpassing even Babe Ruth, often hailed as the greatest player in the history of baseball.

Shohei Ohtani delivered one of the greatest performances in baseball history on Friday night

Ohtani smashed three remarkable home runs against the stunned Milwaukee Brewers

The Japanese two-way sensation also pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits

One fan said: ‘Shohei Ohtani with an out of the park home run. His 2nd home run of the night. He’s pitching a shutout too. Babe Ruth.’ 

Another commented: ‘Shohei Ohtani is a modern day Babe Ruth.’

A third posted: ‘There’s no reason to have discussions anymore. No one has ever played the game of baseball like Shohei Ohtani. 

‘No one can or will ever do this again. He is the GOAT.’

‘I never want to hear about Babe Ruth or Aaron Judge again. Shohei Ohtani is the greatest person to ever play baseball. Period. Strikes out 3 in the top of the 1st and hits a HR in the bottom of the 1st lol,’ another fan said.

Sports analyst Skip Bayless was also stunned by Ohtani’s performance. He posted on X: ‘Shohei, pitching a shutout, just hit one of the longest home runs ever at Dodger Stadium – his second of the game after his first-inning leadoff bomb. GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER.’

Ruth, who died of throat cancer at 53, won seven World Series titles and hit 714 home runs during his illustrious career that spanned spells with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. 

Ruth began as a left-handed pitcher and became a slugging outfielder, playing for 22 major league seasons before retiring in 1935.

In his prime, he would hit more home runs than some entire teams, and he was known for his flair on and off the field. 

Babe Ruth won seven World Series titles and hit 714 home runs during his illustrious career

The three-time MVP issued a leadoff walk to Brice Turang to begin his second career postseason start, but struck out Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich and William Contreras with a mix of 100 mph fastballs and vicious breaking pitches.

After a quick reset at the edge of the Dodgers’ dugout, Ohtani stepped to the plate and broke out of a significant hitting slump with his mammoth homer to right field off left-hander Jose Quintana.

Ohtani paused briefly at the plate to admire his third homer of the postseason and his second leadoff homer, ending his eight-game drought since he hit two in the Wild Card Series opener against Cincinnati.

Before that shot, Ohtani hadn’t contributed much to the Dodgers with his bat during their otherwise impressive playoff run to the brink of another World Series.

Before Game 4, Ohtani was in a 6-for-38 drought as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter in the postseason. The fearsome slugger, who was third in the majors with 55 homers during the regular season, hadn’t connected since September 30.

While his two-way role requires him to do extensive off-field work to stay ready for both jobs, Ohtani probably wouldn’t blame his plate struggles on his pitching responsibilities.

Ohtani was mobbed by his Dodgers teammates as their fans celebrated his third home run

In fact, he had pitched in only two games over the past 30 days before Game 4, thanks to the permutations of the Dodgers’ schedule.

In his last regular-season start, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings of five-hit ball against Arizona on September 23, throwing a season-high 91 pitches. 

In his MLB postseason mound debut on October 4, he gave up three runs over six innings with nine strikeouts to earn the victory in Los Angeles’ 5-3 win at Philadelphia in the Division Series opener.

More to follow.