Ohtani’s postseason debut as a pitcher: A two-way statement

When Shohei Ohtani toe-took the rubber in Game 1 of the NLDS, it marked a milestone not just for him, but for baseball. For the first time in his career, he made a playoff start on the mound — and he did so while still being in the lineup as a legitimate offensive threat. The dual nature of his game now spills over into October, forcing every opponent to respect him both ways.

Ohtani’s first postseason pitching assignment is a landmark moment. He becomes, in the modern era, the first player to start a playoff game as a pitcher and bat in the lineup in that same game. In doing so, he carries into the postseason what he’s done during the regular season — blend elite stuff with elite slugging.

Managing the delicate balance of workload and recovery, the Dodgers’ decision to turn to Ohtani for this start underscores their trust in his arm. This year, he’s shown renewed consistency on the mound after recovering from injury, logging a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings with 62 strikeouts. Even in shorter stints, he’s proven effective and confident.

But Ohtani doesn’t step off the pedestal when he’s relieved or in later innings. His bat remains a threat throughout — exactly what makes him such a nightmare matchup. Thanks to the “two-way player” rule (which allows a pitcher to remain in the batting order), Ohtani can continue influencing the game with his swing even as his arm work concludes. 

In fact, MLB commentators have already underscored a fascinating wrinkle: Ohtani hit leadoff in this Game 1 start, making him the first pitcher in postseason history to bat higher than sixth. The only historical analog? Babe Ruth, who batted sixth in the 1918 World Series while also pitching. 

Comparisons to Babe Ruth are unavoidable, but with caveats. Ruth is the canonical two-way icon — a legend both on the mound and at the plate. Ohtani, in his own right, echoes that duality, though in a very different era, with vastly different training, strategy, and specialization in baseball.

• Ruth’s dual dominance peaked in the 1910s and early 1920s, when he was also a star pitcher before shifting to full-time hitting.

• Ohtani, by contrast, operates in an era where two-way players are extremely rare, and where pitch counts, analytics, and usage strategies are far more advanced.

• Statistically, Ohtani already matches or exceeds Ruth in some areas: he’s amassed high home run totals while also putting up strikeout numbers and innings pitched not typical for a hitter of his caliber. 

• Ruth never had the benefit of a rule that let him stay in the batting order after being pulled as a pitcher; Ohtani does. That shifts the calculus: he’s not merely a hybrid — he’s integrated.

The difference in context is important: Ruth’s era included different ballparks, pitching styles, travel, medical care, and a much lighter specialization in relief pitching. Still, the symbolic throughline is strong — a two-way force carrying weight on both sides of the game.

With his first postseason start, Ohtani doesn’t just add a new chapter to his own story; he signals a shift in how October might be approached. No longer is he a designated-hitter-only postseason presence; now he can be a starting pitcher, a high-leverage bat, or both — forcing managers to prepare for him every way.

If this is the beginning, then we may well look back and see this night as a turning point: the moment when Ohtani stamped himself not just as an historic hitter, but as an October weapon in every sense, blurring roles, defying conventions, and inviting comparisons to legends like Ruth — on his own terms.