Shohei Ohtani was named the National League Championship Series after a historic 3-home run and 10 strikeout performance that sent the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 2025 World Series, but it also helped end a narrative that was forming.
Prior to that point, Ohtani was in the midst of a terrible slump at the plate, hitting just .158/.273/.368 in the postseason. That led to him changing his workout and pregame schedule a bit, which included taking on-field batting practice.
Ohtani typically just hits in the batting cages, which made his decision to hit on the field come as somewhat of a surprise that even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hyped up a bit during the first time Ohtani took the field to hit.