It has been an extremely tough road for Shohei Ohtani on his way to the NLCS. The Los Angeles Dodgers megastar hadn't hit a home run in a game in what felt like forever, and there was talk that manager Dave Roberts could bench him.
But Roberts stuck with Ohtani, and the World Series-winning manager even threw the slugger in the leadoff spot. And in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, it all paid off. Ohtani hit a mammoth three-run homer to put the Dodgers ahead 4-0.
And it was his reaction that said it all: As Ohtani tossed his bat, he screamed and pumped his arms in celebration. You don't normally see him that emotional, but maybe that was the weight coming off his shoulders in that moment:
SHOHEI OHTANI MIGHT BE BACK pic.twitter.com/vxJ07mi9He
— Underdog (@Underdog) October 16, 2026
Shohei Ohtani with a big time bat flip as he puts the Dodgers up 4-0! pic.twitter.com/XaSRhByfDf
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 16, 2026
Heck yeah. That's how you celebrate your first home run since mid-August.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Shohei Ohtani's emotional bat flip after slump-busting homer was everything