Did Shohei Ohtani just have the greatest single-game performance ever?
Today at 01:19 AM
Entering the series finale versus the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani was already the most unique talent to ever enter the MLB. And yet, he found a way to mystify the masses once again.
Ohtani achieved unprecedented history in a playoff-clinching 20-4 road win, and did so in grand fashion. He smashed three home runs, two doubles and a whopping 10 RBIs while also recording two stolen bases in what was one of the most amazing outings an offensive player has ever compiled in one game. The masterpiece is made more exquisite by the fact that it enables the 30-year-old superstar to be the first player to blast 50 homers and swipe 50 bags in a single campaign.
The clear-cut National League MVP, who is now also the Dodgers’ all-time single-season home run leader after surpassing Shawn Green on Thursday, continues to pad a legacy that is becoming more distinctive by the week. While the baseball-watching world tries to fathom the possibility of such an overstuffed statline in the year 2024, it is an appropriate time to ponder if this dominant display in LoanDepot Park is in fact the best game an individual has ever produced.
In a time when analysts and fans alike frequently lament the lack of offense in the modern MLB, it seems illogical to even pose this question. Rest assured, though, Shohei Ohtani undeniably belongs in the conversation for top outing ever. Let’s see if it deserves to lead that discussion in the years to come.
Shohei Ohtani cannot be put in same tier as playoff performances
Context is incredibly important when trying to juxtapose one awe-inspiring afternoon at the ballpark with another. Although Ohtani claimed franchise and MLB immortality while also helping the Dodgers clinch a postseason berth and tie the Philadelphia Phillies for best record in baseball, his herculean efforts cannot compare to October heroics.
The pressure to succeed in the frenzied-atmosphere the playoffs provide is not going to be found in a game against the last-place Marlins. The global phenom faced considerable scrutiny on his way to officially starting the 50-50 club, to be fair, but it feels unjustifiable to place his milestone-filled showing above New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson’s three-homer “Mr. October” game versus LA in the 1977 World Series.
But can he claim the regular season crown? Answering that query is quite tricky given that many of the other best-game candidates, via MLB.com, were lacking stakes but did carry more of a scoreboard-based impact.
Comparing Ohtani’s marvelous day in Miami to other legendary showings
Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt went 5-for-6 with four home runs and eight RBIs to lift the Phillies to an improbable 10-inning win over the home-team Chicago Cubs on April 17, 1976. Philly trailed 12-1 early on, which means that Schmidt’s excellence was desperately needed in this particular game. Technically, the same cannot be said for Ohtani’s spectacle.
Former Oakland Athletics masher and aspiring mechanic Khris Davis also belted clutch dingers in a comeback win, capping off a three-homer, six-RBI night with a walk-off grand slam against the Texas Rangers in May of 2016. Former American League MVP Josh Hamilton went yard four times and was a perfect 5-for-5 in the same month a few years earlier.
World Series Champion Anthony Rendon posted similar numbers to Ohtani when he went 6-for-6 with three homers and 10 RBIs at the end of April in 2017. Later that year, future Cincinnati Reds All-Star Scooter Gennett put up eye-popping numbers of his own (5-for-5, four long balls and 10 RBIs in a June blowout win). Longtime outfielder Shawn Green, the Dodger Shohei Ohtani eclipsed on Thursday, also muscled the ball over the wall four times and recorded a stunning 19 total bases.
Of course, there are plenty of titanic games that most of the public cannot recall. Perhaps most notably, Yankees icon Lou Gehrig homered in four straight at-bats versus the Philadelphia Athletics on June 3, 1932. All of those triumphs were completed in the first half of the season, while Ohtani thrived in a mid-September matchup that could prove relevant in the home-field advantage battle between LA and Philly. Factor in the base-running element, and it is fair to rank Shotime’s performance ahead of the aforementioned ones.
But there is a player I believe stands above.
A Red Sox rookie might edge out Shohei Ohtani
In a June 18, 1975 road game against the Detroit Tigers, 23-year-old Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn went 5-for-6 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in a 15-1 win. Despite this being another first-half feat, Lynn’s output should be held in special regard since he was just a rookie (would win MVP, Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove that year). Moreover, his third blast came off a pitcher. Ohtani crushed a 440-foot, three-run bomb in the ninth inning off Marlins infielder Vidal Brujan.
You can argue that Lynn had a clear advantage playing in a notoriously hitter-friendly park like Tiger Stadium, but his defensive presence and youth put him in rarefied single-game air. Of course, Ohtani deserves special recognition as well.
Aside from pitching, which he is still not cleared to do, this man unloaded his toolbox in Miami. If not for getting thrown out at third, he would have attained a cycle. Shohei Ohtani is putting an exclamation point on a strikingly sensational season. He will hope to add a few more when the playoff-bound Dodgers vie for a World Series championship in a couple of weeks.
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