Shohei Ohtani has bagged another milestone under his belt, as his performance helped the defending champions the Los Angeles Dodgers reach the World Series after beating the Milwaukee Brewers.
Japan's Ohtani became the first player to hit three home runs and struck out 10 Brewers batters in a comprehensive 5-1 victory as the Dodgers swept the series 4-0.
The 31-year-old's exceptional performance is a Major League Baseball postseason record, highlighting his talent in the game.
Ohtani also became the first pitcher since the Boston Braves' Jim Tobin in 1942 to hit three home runs in the same game.
"It was really fun on both sides of the ball today," said Ohtani, who was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for his excellence at both ends of the field.
He added, "I'm taking this trophy and let's get four more wins. We won it as a team and this is really a team effort. I hope everybody in LA and Japan and all over the world could enjoy a really good sake [Japanese rice wine]."
Friday's match marked another historic game from Ohtani, who last year became the first player ever to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season.
"That was probably the greatest postseason performance of all time," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "There's a reason why he's the greatest player on the planet. It's kind of whatever you don't expect, expect him to do it.
"This is just a performance that I've just never seen. No-one's ever seen something like this. I'm still in awe right now of Shohei."
The Dodgers' comfortable victory sets up a World Series showdown against the Toronto Blue Jays or Seattle Mariners, with the latter 3-2 up in the best-of-seven series.
