Alden Gonzalez

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani went from potentially sitting in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series to leading off in Game 4 with the Los Angeles Dodgers ' season on the line.

Shohei Ohtani unleashed a prodigious three-run homer in the second inning off Brewers right-hander Dustin May, giving his team an early 4-0 lead in Game 4.

LOS ANGELES -- The last out of the Dodgers ' season had been made more than an hour ago, and Miguel Rojas was still wearing his jersey, cap, eye black and cleats.

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani flipped his bat toward the third-base dugout and raised his hands into the air, fully embracing a moment he hadn't experienced in nearly two months.

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani will not require surgery to treat his left knee or right arm or any other ailment he dealt with throughout the second

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jackson Chourio is 22 years old. "A kid," as Brewers hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach put it late Monday night.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- When Cooper Pratt led off Tuesday's 12th inning, he was just trying not to strike out.

Owner Mark Walter, making his first public comments since a federal investigation into his business empire put the Los Angeles Dodgers ' future in question, said he's "keeping the team, no matter what."

Owner Mark Walter, making his first public comments since a federal investigation into his business empire put the Los Angeles Dodgers' future in question, said he's "keeping the team, no matter what."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- They were deemed too young and unheralded, dismissed as punchless and inexpensive, defined more so by what they lacked than what they possessed.