The Los Angeles Dodgers are two wins away from another championship, and the man they will eventually pay $700 million is the one who continues to get them there.
Ohtani’s struggles from earlier in October are long forgotten, as the momentum he set in motion with a 3-home run game in Game 4 of the NLCS manifested itself in a performance for the ages in Game 3 of the World Series. Ohtani reached base all nine times he came to the plate, and the Dodgers would not have even gotten to extra innings without each of his two home runs.
With a stellar day at the plate, Ohtani moved himself one big step closer to his first career World Series MVP award.
Here’s a closer look at Ohtani’s dominant performance in Game 3.
MORE WORLD SERIES GAME 3:
Shohei Ohtani stats from World Series Game 3
- At-bats: 4
- Hits: 4
- Home runs: 2
- RBI: 3
- Walks: 5
- Strikeouts: 0
The Blue Jays could not get Ohtani out in Game 3. The reigning NL MVP reached base all nine times he came to the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and five walks.
Ohtani’s first home run extended the Dodgers’ lead from 1-0 to 2-0 in the third inning, but his second was much more consequential, tying the game at five in the seventh inning and putting the momentum back on L.A.’s side after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored the go-ahead run for Toronto minutes earlier.
SHOHEI OHTANI’S SECOND HOMER OF THE NIGHT
TIE GAME! #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/eA6h6saLnV
— MLB (@MLB) October 28, 2025
After seeing him blast two home runs, the Blue Jays were not going to let the Dodgers’ best hitter beat them again. They intentionally walked Ohtani four times, a postseason record, and Ohtani would add a non-intentional walk in the bottom of the 17th inning when Brendon Little couldn’t get him to chase anything.
Ohtani made history in multiple ways in Game 3. Not only did he become the second player in the long history of the World Series to record four extra-base hits in one game, but he became the first player to reach base six times and hit a home run in a World Series game.
After his third intentional walk, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to reach base seven times in a postseason game, let alone a World Series game. He would ultimately reach base nine times, perhaps putting the record out of reach.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first player in MLB history to reach base seven times in a postseason game pic.twitter.com/ozcqhUQWOO
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 28, 2025
MORE: Most home runs in MLB playoff game by one player
Shohei Ohtani playoff home runs
Ohtani is now up to eight home runs in this postseason, putting him in rare territory.
Only one player has ever hit more than eight home runs in one playoff run: Randy Arozarena, who mashed 10 as a rookie in 2020 when the Tampa Bay Rays went to the World Series.
Here is a look at the leaderboard Ohtani joined on Monday:
| Player | HRs | Year |
| Randy Arozarena | 10 | 2020 |
| Carlos Beltran | 8 | 2004 |
| Barry Bonds | 8 | 2002 |
| Nelson Cruz | 8 | 2011 |
| Adolis Garcia | 8 | 2023 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 8 | 2025 |
| Corey Seager | 8 | 2020 |
Ohtani has at least two more games to tie or beat Arozarena’s record. Even one more home run would put him alone in second on the single-season playoff leaderboard.
MORE: Inside Shohei Ohtani’s complete family tree
