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The home run shredded the October sky like a bolt of lightning.
Shohei Ohtani turned toward the Dodgers’ bench.
He threw his bat. He screamed. He punched the air. He screamed some more.
With one furious swing, Ohtani unleashed months of pent-up frustration.
His streak of 115 plate appearances without a home run was over.
But this wasn’t a series-altering three-run home run.
This was a last stand.
The four-run lead the Dodgers built up in that stadium-rocking second inning didn’t endure. The Milwaukee Brewers saw that it wouldn’t.
As they did throughout this National League Championship Series, the Brewers pressed and pressed and pressed. Little by little, the Dodgers gave in.
By the sixth inning, the Dodgers were behind. Three innings later, they were officially eliminated from the playoffs when Kiké Hernández flied out to left field against Aaron Ashby for the final out of a 6-4 defeat at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers didn’t just lose.
They were swept in four games by the same team they swept at this stage of the postseason last year.
Now, comes the hard part.
The Dodgers might be the second-best team in baseball behind the Brewers, but they can’t return with a similar roster next season and expect the results to be any different.
Farewells are in order.
Farewell to long-time Dodgers who will forever be known in these parts as World Series heroes.
Farewell to Ohtani hitting and pitching full-time.
With how the Dodgers were thumped by the Brewers, president of baseball operation Andrew Friedman has a clear directive.
Adjust – or else.
The Dodgers have the oldest team in the major leagues. First baseman Freddie Freeman and infielder Miguel Rojas are 37. Third baseman Max Muncy is 36 and utilityman Kiké Hernández is 35. Shortstop Mookie Betts and outfielder Teoscar Hernández are 34.
The problem is magnified by their prime-aged players, who are breaking down as if they are senior citizens.
Ohtani, 32, was obviously debilitated in the postseason, which explains why a former 50-homer player wasn’t a power threat for the majority of these playoffs.
Catcher Will Smith, 31, was sidelined for three months with a disc problem, which contributed to him being out of sorts in the batter’s box.
Utilityman Tommy Edman, also 31, is an All-Star-caliber player when healthy – but he often isn’t.
Kyle Tucker, 29, flat-out stunk for the majority of the first season of his four-year, $240-million contract.
What Friedman and others in the front office will have to decide in the coming weeks and months is how quickly and drastically they will turn over the roster.
The Dodgers shopped Teoscar Hernández last offseason, and they figure to do so again this offseason, as they already have a promising in-house replacement for him in left field in 21-year-old rookie Josue De Paula. Hernández has only one more guaranteed year remaining on his contract.
But what do the Dodgers do beyond that?
Do they attempt to move some of their other veterans? Or do they field more or less the same team next season, accept the limitations of their roster, and wait for some of their contracts to expire in another year?
Freeman will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2027 season. Muncy could also depart that winter, as his option for the 2028 season is a team option.
There are no simple answers.
Muncy’s option for 2028 is a relative bargain at $10 million, for example. The Dodgers might not be able to find a better third baseman at that price point.
Or, in the case of Freeman, how can they not re-sign a player as beloved as he is?
One factor that could influence the Dodgers’ team-building approach: Baseball’s next collective-bargaining agreement.
More restrictive spending limits of some kind figure to be on their way, as franchise owners are pushing for a salary cap. The Dodgers could be forced to dump salaries whether they want to or not.
Whatever happens on that front, the Dodgers will have to address Ohtani’s situation.
Ohtani broke into Japan’s top league as an 18 year old. He was a two-way player in the five seasons he played for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and his body has plenty of mileage on it.
This season was particularly demanding.
Last year, resumed pitching in the middle of the season after recovering from his second major elbow operation. This year, he attempted to be a full-time hitter and pitcher for the entire season.
Ohtani broke down. He abandoned pitching in the middle of the season. The resulting injuries diminished him as a hitter.
Knowing Ohtani will insist on remaining a two-way player, what do the Dodgers do?
Do they spread out his starts to extend the periods between his starts? Or do they try to sell him on the idea that by not pitching in the early parts of the season, he could be a two-way player in October?
The results have spoken.
Changes will have to be made.