Dave Roberts had to tell the thrilled Los Angeles Dodgers the truth: their 18-inning battle with the Blue Jays wasn’t over yet. Roberts didn’t have time for feelings, even though Freddy Freeman’s walk-off still echoed through Dodger Stadium. There isn’t much time to sleep before Game 4, and Shohei Ohtani has to pitch on fumes. The Blue Jays have already shown that they won’t give up easily. This World Series just turned into a test of who can stay alive.

After Freddy Freeman’s walk-off home run in Game 3, Roberts gave his tired team a clear message. “Hey, we got a game later tonight,” he reminded them, his urgency cutting through the post-game euphoria. “Leave it all out there. Be ready to go. There’s no letup.” The ultimatum was clear: it’s time to stop celebrating. The team that just played almost six hours of baseball needs to get ready for Tuesday’s important game right away.

The manager’s clubhouse speech emphasized collective effort over individual heroics. “I’ve never been more proud of each one of you guys,” Roberts told his players, who went above and beyond what was expected of them without changing their minds. He praised the team’s toughness during the longest World Series game ever, saying that “none of us wavered. We didn’t quit. We continued to fight.” Roberts used Ohtani’s success as an example of how the 2025 Dodgers put the team first. He kept saying, “This is a team effort,” and he meant everyone, from the front office to the support staff. He said that the victory was hard-earned, and that everyone needed to get ready for the next battle right away.

The challenge now falls heavily on Shohei Ohtani, who delivered historic offensive production Monday before taking the mound Tuesday as Game 4’s starting pitcher. Shohei Ohtani was the best player for the Boys in Blue. He reached base in all nine of his plate appearances, which set a postseason record and tied an MLB record.

He hit two home runs and two doubles, was intentionally walked four times, drew another walk, and had three runs driven in. This continued his great play in the postseason so far this October. “I need some sleep,” Ohtani admitted afterward. “I want to go to sleep as soon as possible to get ready for tomorrow.” The exhausted superstar faces an unprecedented turnaround, pitching less than 24 hours after his offensive marathon against Shane Bieber and the desperate Blue Jays.

Shohei Ohtani proves why the Dodgers bet $700 million on him

The tiredness is only part of Shohei Ohtani’s story. The Los Angeles Dodgers need to win two more games to win the World Series, and their $700 million investment suddenly seems like the deal of the century.

Ohtani’s bat went quiet when it mattered most at the start of October. Then the NLCS Game 4 took place. That night, he hit three home runs and never looked back. That explosion went right into the World Series, where the Dodgers’ perfect nine-for-nine performances on Monday saved them. There are no extra innings without his two home runs. There’s no Freeman walk-off if he isn’t always on base. He drove in three runs and never struck out.

The numbers keep adding up. This postseason, Ohtani has hit eight home runs in the playoffs. Randy Arozarena hit ten home runs in a single playoff run, which was more than anyone else. That record is still possible to break with at least two games left.

One more home run puts Ohtani alone in second place on the all-time single-postseason list. He’s making a playoff legacy that goes beyond what he did in the regular season, showing that he plays best when the stakes are highest. People started talking about who should be the MVP before the series was over.