The Dodgers couldn't get out of the predicament, but Shohei Otani's fate was entrusted to him in the end.

Major League Baseball's Dodgers were unable to escape the predicament.

In the National League Championship Series (seven games) against the Brewers, they lost three straight from the first game. They lost Game 4 4-6 on the 15th (16th Japan time), ending the 2026 season without reaching the World Series, where they would need to win their third straight victory.

Shohei Otani participated in Game 4 as the No. 1 designated hitter. For the first time this postseason, he returned to a familiar batting order.

The result was 1 hit in 4 at bats. That one hit was the first home run in two months that everyone around him had been waiting for. However, they were unable to defeat the rival Brewers.

The Dodgers are a team characterized by strong hitting and a stable starting pitching staff. However, in the league championship series, the team was sluggish with a total of 7 points up to the third game. In contrast to the Brewers, who hit five home runs in three games, they didn't even get a single hit.

One of the major reasons why the team fell into such a critical situation was, of course, Otani's extremely poor performance.

The No. 1 designated hitter was his ``reserved seat,'' but after batting No. 2 in the district series against the Braves, he moved down the batting order.

In games 1 and 2 of the league championship series, where he played No. 4, he had one hit in eight at-bats. In the second game, he showed trouble as he tried to take a safety bunt, but ended up striking out.

While it is clear that he is trying to contribute to the team, he has also lost his charm of changing the flow of the game.

a screaming body

The Dodgers enter the regular season with their sights set on the postseason. Despite this, the one-of-a-kind ``two-way player'' is unable to take the mound during this most important season. Even at bat, he is far from his original form.

Before the start of the 26th season...