The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't see the level of production they were used to seeing from superstar Shohei Ohtani through an injury-riddled 2026 campaign that ended in a National League Championship Series sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“Honestly,” Ohtani said through team interpreter Will Ireton after the elimination, “I think I’m just very disappointed.”
Ohtani's offense in the second half of the season through the postseason was very clearly by hampered by a knee injury that sidelined him from pitching beyond an early-July start and a biceps injury he later revealed he did not report initially.
Despite being shut down as a pitcher in July, Ohtani's batting average dropped nearly 50 points after the All-Star break. Following a 10-game stretch towards the end of August where he hit just .128 and even took four games off to heal, he served his first stint on the injured list as a Dodger.
The stagnant offense culminated in him going 5-for-26 in eight postseason games with 10 strikeouts.
The lack of production, IL stint and his postseason performance all pointed to a potential offseason surgery for the superstar. Ohtani spoke after Game 4 about what he believes will happen.
“Hard to tell at this point,” Ohtani said of potential surgeries to address his knee or arm. “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.”
Shohei Ohtani Wants to Pitch Again in 2027
Ohtani was also asked if he planned to continue pitching in 2027, which he confirmed.
However, he was not happy with the half-season of pitching he had and is looking to devise a plan to pitch longer in 2027.
“Not quite satisfied with how things shaped up on the pitching side, having not pitched in the postseason,” Ohtani said. “I haven’t been able to really come to grips with what I’ve learned overall this season. It’s something that I’m going to go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, training programs, and see what I can come up with for next season.”
Regardless of his own health and how it affected the postseason, Ohtani still came up big in Game 4 amid his slump. A second-inning three-run home run not only electrified the crowd, but put his team up 4-0 before the Brewers came back to complete the sweep.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) October 16, 2026Dave Roberts decided to move Shohei Ohtani into the leadoff spot.
He responded with a three-run home run to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
That's as animated as Ohtani has ever been as a Dodger.
This team has life. pic.twitter.com/AH4C6fsoGV
“I really don’t take it for granted,” Ohtani said of the season. “Every player comes here and there. The composition of the team is different, different players and coaching staff. So I don’t really want to take it for granted for the opportunity to be able to play with these guys.
“The Brewers were overall strong and a very good team, and it really exposed some of the parts of me as a player, and I have to give some credit to that.”
Ohtani will now turn his focus to making sure this doesn't happen again in 2027.
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