Shohei Ohtani Admits Brewers 'Exposed' Him in Dodgers' NLCS Sweep
The Dodgers' star reflected on his postseason struggles after Milwaukee eliminated Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani acknowledged that the Milwaukee Brewers' strong performance "exposed" aspects of his game during their National League Championship Series sweep. Ohtani, who hit his first home run since August 18 in Game 4, could not prevent the Dodgers from being eliminated.
"The Brewers were overall strong, and a very good team. And [they] really exposed parts of me as a player, and got to give some credit to that," Ohtani said in translated English following the Dodgers' 6-4 loss.
Throughout the four-game series, Ohtani recorded three hits and six strikeouts, resulting in a .231 batting average and a .795 OPS. His postseason performance overall saw him hit .192 with a .631 OPS and 10 strikeouts compared to five hits. Ohtani did not pitch in the postseason, limiting his ability to offset his hitting statistics.
Despite Ohtani's status as one of baseball's premier players, the postseason slump came at a critical time for the Dodgers. The article notes that while slumps are a part of the game, Ohtani's performance was particularly impactful given the timing, and his undisclosed ailments may have also contributed to the situation.