Even Shohei Ohtani's teammates have trouble finding the right adjectives to describe him; ones that express how good he is while simultaneously highlighting how unlikely his existence is.
After Game 3 on Monday, when Ohtani became the first player In postseason history, reaching base nine times in a World Series game, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman chose the word “unicorn”, one of the most common descriptions of Ohtani. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Blake Snell kept it simple and clear.
“He will do amazing things all the time,” Snell said. “And for him it will be normal.”
However, Game 4 of the World Series proved that even an impressive unicorn can make mistakes. On Tuesday, Ohtani allowed more than three runs in a start for the first time since August and did not record a single hit. Dodgers 6-2 loss to Toronto Blue Jays to even the scores at two games each.
That such a pedestrian performance can surprise is further evidence that Ohtani has completely changed the standard of what a professional baseball player can achieve. After Tuesday's game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted that even he can get carried away.
“That's part of being a fan and seeing great things from great players,” Roberts said. “So every time he appears, I expect great things to happen, and perhaps unjust ones.”
Even after Wednesday's loss, Ohtani's six strikeouts gave him the record for most strikeouts of any player in his first three postseason starts (25, surpassing James Paxton's record of 20 in 2019). Because of the 15 swings and misses he threw against Toronto hitters, his swing percentage (the percentage of innings in which opposing hitters swing and miss) was 42%, higher than any other starting pitcher in the 2025 postseason. And his exit came just 18 hours after he became the first player in 119 years to record four extra-base hits in a game. World Series game.
Perhaps it's a reminder of just how special the 31-year-old is. When he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, his arrival was expected to usher in a new generation of two-way players who would excel as both pitchers and hitters. Instead, his phenomenal success only highlighted the extreme challenges of staying healthy (Ohtani missed two full pitching seasons with elbow injuries) and the mental preparation required to face major league pitchers. And forwards. As a result, Ohtani could accidentally kill a two-way player, at least while he is the standard bearer. “[Ohtani] came in and he's like Babe Ruth in his hitting and pitching,” Kansas City Royals pitcher Michael Lorenzen, a former two-way player who hit seven career home runs, told Athletic in August. “How valuable is someone who is slightly above average in both cases? I think if someone can prove that it's really valuable, a lot more people will do it.”
But Ohtani shouldn't be written off as a failure because of his seemingly god-like talent. Before signing with the Angels, Ohtani told Sports Illustrated that the greatest mental stress he experienced was not from the pressure of playing two positions, but from fans and pundits who believed his insistence on hitting and pitching indicated he was either selfish or unserious. Even those who think Otani's legend is exaggerated have a hard time considering him unserious about anything: As a teenager, he ate “dozens” of bowls of rice to try to add volume to his lanky frame and set detailed life goals. in tables. He's so meticulous about his sleep that he reportedly travels with his own mattress and pillow to ensure he gets his desired 10 hours a night – plus two more before a game. Asked how he felt about starting the day after his historic Game 3 performance, Ohtani simply replied, “I want to go to bed as soon as possible.”
These little bits of “routine” are some of the most common ways his many fans try to explain Ohtani's greatness. Former Dodgers teammate Chris Taylor remembers Ohtani pause in minutes between individual sprints and practice swings to try to create game visualization so he can improve his subsequent reps. When asked to explain Ohtani's uniqueness to the casual observer, Roberts described Ohtani as two specialists rolled into one, able to bring together the best of each side of himself.
“[These are] crazy expectations, probably unattainable for anyone,” Roberts said before Tuesday's game. “And then get your body and mind working together to perform at the highest level, with all eyes on it.” I just don’t think there’s anything like it in terms of one person.”
Whether it's his appeal as a two-way player or his mammoth home runs and stunning line drives, Ohtani has been an inspiration to those who have followed his career. His jersey became the best-selling jersey in Major League Baseball for third season in a row and stimulated noticeable increase in Japanese tourism in Los Angeles. Another athlete who has excelled in many disciplines, NFL Hall of Famer and nine-year MLB veteran Deion Sanders, said it will be decades before another player like Ohtani comes along.
Until then, the world will have to work on new words to bring Ohtani to life. After all, unicorns aren't real, but Otani is.
