“Cheater”; “The Michael Jordan of baseball” - Fans divided as Shohei Ohtani claims NLCS MVP after historic Game 4 performance

The Milwaukee Brewers were no match for Shohei Ohtani in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar put on a historic two-way performance.

Ohtani was sent to the mound for his first start of the championship series amid questions about his hitting form in the postseason. The three-time MVP silenced his critics after pitching six scoreless innings and smashing three home runs in one of the most dominant performances in postseason history.

Following the game, the Japanese two-way phenom was named the NLCS MVP for helping the Dodgers to a second consecutive World Series after completing a sweep of the Brewers with a 5-1 win on Friday.

Fans were split on social media after Ohtani claimed the award.

"The Michael Jordan of baseball. 🐐"

"Cheater!!"

"Another achievement Judge will never touch but at least he can keep farming those useless regular season MVP's"

"The award is supposed to be for an entire series, not just 1 game. Total joke"

"And the cool thing is he sucks at gambling just like us!"

Shohei Ohtani credits teammates after NLCS MVP accolade

Shohei Ohtani was named the NLCS MVP after going 5-for-14 at the plate with three home runs, all in the final game of the series, and four RBIs."

"It was really fun on both sides of the ball today," Ohtani said. "As a representative, I'm taking this trophy, and let's get four more wins.

Although it was a one-man show on Friday night, Ohtani credited his teammates for the series win as the Dodgers aim to defend their World Series crown.

"This is really a team effort," Ohtani said. "So I hope everyone in L.A. and Japan and all over the world can enjoy a really good sake."

The Dodgers will face the ALCS winner between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. The Mariners lead the series 3-2 heading into a potential series decider on Saturday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash