Shohei Ohtani spent the last six years going home in October. Now, the Japanese superstar will be taking baseball's biggest stage when the Los Angeles Dodgers open the NL Division Series later this week.

Consider two points of reference. The first is the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the closest thing Ohtani has experienced to the postseason. In 33 plate appearances, Ohtani batted .435 with a 1.345 OPS. He also produced a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings, concluding the tournament in dramatic fashion by striking out Mike Trout.