Two words. That’s all Shohei Ohtani needed to close out the 2026 season. On October 20, he posted an Instagram carousel of season highlights — including a photo of his dog, Decoy — with a single caption: «Thank you,» addressed to Los Angeles. It was his first public statement since the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers out of the NLCS four games to none on October 15.
The same phrase he used in November 2025 to celebrate a championship. This time, it arrives from the losing side.
A Season That Ended on the Injured List
What Ohtani went through in 2026 has no recent precedent in Dodger history. He started the year as arguably the best pitcher on the planet: across 14 starts and 85.2 innings, he posted a 1.79 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, went 8-2, and struck out 27.9% of every batter he faced. At the plate he was equally locked in — .275 average, 30 home runs, and 81 RBI — before injuries changed everything.
On July 3, inflammation in his left knee knocked him off the mound. In September, a combination of knee and right biceps issues landed him on the injured list. He returned for just the final five games of the regular season — no rhythm, no reps, a body held together with tape and optimism. Manager Dave Roberts later admitted he would have preferred to put Ohtani on the IL earlier than he did. That hesitation came with a price tag when October arrived.
What Happened in the Postseason
Over eight playoff games, Ohtani hit .192 — five hits in 26 at-bats, one home run, three RBI, ten strikeouts, and an OPS of .631. For context: his career OPS entering the postseason was .948.
By Game 3 of the NLCS he had been dropped to sixth in the batting order — the lowest spot in a lineup since 2020 and the lowest of his entire time as a Dodger.
The one bright moment came too late. In Game 4, with Los Angeles staring down a sweep, Ohtani launched a three-run home run to give the Dodgers a brief lead. Milwaukee came back, won 6-4, and the series was over — and with it, the Dodgers’ bid for a third straight title.
After the elimination, Ohtani was direct: he wasn’t going to use his injuries as an excuse and acknowledged that Milwaukee exposed real vulnerabilities in his swing. The contrast with his previous two postseason runs is hard to ignore — in 34 combined playoff games in 2024 and 2025, he had slashed .248/.390/.550 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI.
Two Words That Close One Chapter and Open Another
The Instagram post is not a farewell. Ohtani has made clear he intends to continue as a two-way player with the Dodgers in 2027, though he noted he may need medical treatment during the offseason. The «Thank you» is a season closer, not a goodbye to the city.
What makes the gesture interesting is its economy. In November 2025, the same two words marked the top of the mountain. Now, those same two words close the first Dodger season where Ohtani didn’t lift a trophy — the first where his body couldn’t handle the full calendar. The photo of Decoy alongside the message is the most human thing he’s shown since the loss: no analysis, no apologies, no explanations. Just gratitude.
The offseason will tell whether the Dodgers’ medical staff and Ohtani himself can figure out how to better manage the two-way workload going forward. For now, he’s already said what he had to say.
The Numbers Behind the Season
At the plate (2026):
- 618 plate appearances
- 30 home runs, 81 RBI
- AVG: .275 | OPS: .889
- xwOBA: .397 (98th percentile in MLB)
- Exit velocity: 93.3 mph avg (97th percentile)
- Barrel rate: 16.4% (99th percentile)
- Hard-hit rate: 52.1% (95th percentile)
- Bat speed: 74.7 mph avg (80th percentile)
On the mound (2026):
- 14 starts, 85.2 innings
- ERA: 1.79 | WHIP: 0.95
- 95 strikeouts, 26 walks | K%: 27.9% (83rd percentile)
- xERA: 2.74 (95th percentile)
- Fastball avg: 97.8 mph, 2,459 rpm (93rd percentile velocity)
- Whiff rate: 30.4% (85th percentile)
- Opponents batting average: .180
- Exit velocity allowed: 87.4 mph | Barrel rate allowed: 3.8% (95th percentile barrels avoided)
