The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the World Series for the second straight season after eliminating the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. There are plenty of performances worthy of attention after the four-game sweep. But any conversation about the NLCS must start and end with the fact that Shohei Ohtani played arguably the greatest game in baseball history to send LA back to the Fall Classic.

As expected, Ohtani took NLCS MVP honors during the National League pennant trophy ceremony following Game 4. For most players, it would be the highlight of a lifetime. But for a man with three league MVPs (and counting) the trophy presented an opportunity to motivate the clubhouse as the Dodgers attempt to repeat as champions.

Ohtani placed his NLCS MVP trophy on full display in the middle of the team’s clubhouse, per Dodger Blue. And the portion of the award engraved with “Most Valuable Player” had been covered by a sign reading “team effort.”

Shohei Ohtani emphasizes team effort for Dodgers WS run

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Baseball is, of course, the ultimate team sport – a fact that makes Ohtani’s preposterous dominance of Game 4 all the more special. There is no other player capable of taking over a baseball game the way the eighth-year veteran did Friday.

But even for all Ohtani’s brilliance, he was still at the mercy of the bullpen. And if the Brewers had battled back to take the lead with the bottom of the Dodgers’ order due up, Ohtani would need his teammates to start a rally.

The modified NLCS MVP trophy serves to remind that the Dodgers win and lose together. That said, Ohtani’s singular performance is worth revisiting.

The two-way star took the mound in Game 4 with the Dodgers up 3-0 in the series. He followed tremendous starts in the first three games with his own gem. Ohtani allowed two hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters in six scoreless innings.

The outing is all the more impressive considering this was just the second postseason start of his career. And he hadn’t pitched in nearly two years before returning to the mound in June. And he hadn’t thrown six innings in a game in over 25 months, first regaining that level of stamina on September 23.

Obviously the stunning start was only half the story. Ohtani also hit three home runs in a historic performance.

Now he has a chance to capture his second World Series title. And Ohtani realizes it will take a team effort to repeat as champs.