
If MLB carved its own Mt. Rushmore of baseball greats, Shohei Ohtani’s face would be featured front and center. Of all his fellow superstars, past and present, there has been no player quite like Ohtani.
Not surprisingly, his free agency was the blockbuster event of the winter in his free agent class of 2023-2024, making waves and ruffling a few feathers. And today, the feathers are more ruffled than ever. Taking the plate for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series, Toronto Blue Jays fans welcomed Ohtani in the Rogers Centre with a chorus of boos and chants of “We don’t need him!” in resounding fashion.
This, of course, is a reaction that stems from the Blue Jays’ failed pursuit of Ohtani, a failed pursuit that is now plaguing them on MLB’s biggest stage. Ohtani responded to his detractors by going 4-for-4 in Game 3, hitting two home runs and two doubles against Toronto. With the irony of the moment falling hard on the Blue Jays, the Dodgers took the time to rub it in just a little.
In a post on X, the Dodgers tweeted a photo of Ohtani victoriously rounding the bases with the caption, “Don’t need Shohei? Don’t worry, he’s ours.” To their point, Ohtani is having the postseason of a lifetime. It just so happens that his historic performance coincides with a Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series duel.
Don’t need Shohei? Don’t worry, he’s ours. pic.twitter.com/DGb46Ffqtb
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 28, 2025
And as for the Blue Jays, there was no response. After going 4-for-4, Toronto pitchers walked Ohtani five times (four intentional walks, one unintentional walk), handing him a postseason record of reaching base nine times in a single playoff game. This is just one of a few records Ohtani set or tied on Monday.
The Dodgers would go on to win the record 18-inning marathon. As it turns out, the Blue Jays may have, in fact, needed Ohtani, who scored three of the Dodgers' six runs. Still, the fall classic is anything but over. The Dodgers hold a 2-1 advantage in a best-of-seven World Series.
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