The Los Angeles Dodgers' performance in the 2026 National League Championship Series was a stark contrast to their 2025 appearance.
The Dodgers dominated every way they could in 2025 against the Milwaukee Brewers, sweeping them in four games.
Before the 2026 NLCS, the Brewers vowed that this matchup would be different, and they backed that up. Milwaukee returned the favor, sweeping the back-to-back champions in dominant fashion.
It was a complete 180 in this year's NLCS, and that goes for Shohei Ohtani's play, too.
Ohtani struggled throughout the second half of the season, and those issues carried into the postseason. The 32-year-old had a difficult playoff run, with the Brewers exposing his struggles even further.
After the loss, Ohtani acknowledged that Milwaukee had "exposed" him and gave the Brewers credit for doing so.
"The Brewers were overall strong and a very good team, and it really exposed some of the parts of me as a player, and got to give some credit to that," Ohtani said through his interpreter.
Dodgers’ Hopes for Shohei Ohtani’s Recovery Fell Short in the Postseason
Ohtani hit .230 in the NLCS, getting a three-run home run in Game 4 and close to nothing else.
His overall postseason numbers were even worse, as he hit .192 with that one home run, three RBIs and an OPS of .631 while striking out 10 times in 26 at-bats over eight games.
The four-time MVP was a shell of himself, largely because of lingering injuries that weren't properly addressed during the regular season.
Ohtani was dealing with a combination of left knee irritation and right biceps tightness. His knee injury flared up in late June, and his right biceps tightness popped up multiple times throughout the year.
Ohtani's offensive decline began around mid-August and continued through his rough stretch into October. He didn't get enough time to return to his average form, as he played through those injuries until he hit the injured list in September.
The Dodgers hoped that those two weeks off would help him get to a better place, but that was more wishful thinking. Ohtani was never the same, and it was clear it hurt the Dodgers in the long run.
Will Shohei Ohtani Need Surgery to Address His Injuries?
Ohtani was noncommittal about potentially undergoing surgery this offseason.
“Hard to tell at this point,” he said. “It’s something that’s going to be analyzed, discussed over the offseason, and [we’ll] see if it’s a viable thing to do.”
What he did make clear, however, is that he plans on continuing his two-way play in 2027.
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