Shohei Ohtani, homer drought over, eyes return to mound in 2027

LOS ANGELES -- After ending his homer drought with a massive blast in his final game of the year, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announced his intention to become a two-way player again next season.

Dropped to No. 6 in the batting order on Wednesday, Ohtani moved back to the leadoff spot and went deep for the first time since Aug. 18 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

However, he struck out in his other three at-bats as the Dodgers lost 6-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers, who completed a series sweep.

In the second inning against right-hander Dustin May, Ohtani belted a two-out, three-run shot.

As the 428-foot homer sailed toward the right field pavilion at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani looked back at the Los Angeles dugout and did an emphatic bat flip before rounding the bases.

Ohtani ended a 25-game homer drought, the longest of his career, while producing his first extra-base hit and first RBIs of the 2026 postseason. He had been 4-for-23 (.174) in the playoffs before the home run.

Since his most recent homer nearly two months ago against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani had managed just one RBI.

Ohtani, 32, was bothered by right biceps and left knee injuries for months, and his productivity slipped.

After the defeat that ended the Dodgers' year, Ohtani discussed getting back on the mound in 2027. He last pitched on July 3, as the injuries turned him into merely a designated hitter. In his 14 pitching starts this year, Ohtani went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 95 strikeouts and 26 walks in 85 2/3 innings.

"I haven't been able to come to grips with what I learned overall this season," Ohtani said through an interpreter after the Thursday loss. "I will go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, a training program and see what I can come up with for next season. ... And looking forward to having a better season next year."

With the Dodgers facing elimination, manager Dave Roberts put Ohtani back atop the order for the first time since the final game of the regular season on Sept. 27. In Los Angeles' 6-2 loss on Wednesday, Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.

"The homer was great," Roberts said postgame. "Obviously he ended up striking out three times, but it was a big hit, big three-run homer, gave us a big lift.

"I'll always trust Shohei. I think he's the best player on the planet, and he's not completely healthy. But I just give him a lot of respect for not running from it, still wanting to participate, still wanting to play when he's not 100%.

"Like I said before, it's all of us. It's not one player that didn't come through. It was all of us. But I'm really impressed with what Shohei did, yes."

When Ohtani batted sixth against the Brewers on Wednesday, it marked the first time he had batted so low in a starting lineup since Sept. 19, 2020 -- when the Los Angeles Angels slotted him sixth as the designated hitter against the Texas Rangers.

Ohtani is a four-time MVP -- twice with the Angels and twice with the Dodgers -- during nine major league campaigns. He hit three postseason homers in 2024 and eight in 2025 as the Dodgers won back-to-back World Series titles.

--Field Level Media/Reuters