Shohei Ohtani did something few humans can pull off: he made his long-awaited postseason pitching debut in a rowdy Citizens Bank Park and took the win in a 5-3 Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies.

The Japanese superstar faced some trouble in the second inning when he allowed three runs, starting with Brandon Marsh’s single just after Alec Bohm’s walk. This was followed by a J.T. Realmuto hit to center field and a Harrison Bader sacrifice fly, giving the Phillies a 3-0 lead early in the game. From that point on, Ohtani’s command and pitch variety were nearly untouchable, retiring 15 of the last 17 hitters he faced and completing his night with nine strikeouts in the six innings he pitched.

But the Dodgers battled back in the sixth inning. After cutting the Phillies’ lead to 3-2, they retired starter Cristopher Sanchez and then took control of the game, thanks to three three-run go-ahead home runs from Teoscar Hernández off pitches from Matt Strahm, eventually winning 5-3. With that, Ohtani earned his first career postseason win but had a historically rough night at the plate, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in every at-bat.

Ohtani, who hit 55 home runs during the regular season and started the Wild Card Series by smashing two homers against the Reds, looked completely lost. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks that Ohtani’s intense effort on the mound likely affected his performance at the plate. “On days that Shohei pitches, a large amount of the focus is on the pitching,” Roberts said. “But last night in particular… trying to weather that three-run inning and stay in there on the pitching side, I’m sure had some kind of bleed-in effect on the bat.”

“I was a little nervous imagining myself out there on the mound,” Shohei Ohtani said. “But once I was on the mound and on the field, that went away, and it was really me focusing.” Embracing his two-way role, he said, “The reason why I’m a two-way player is because that’s who I am, it’s what I can do and, at the same time, it’s what the team wants.”

Even so, the Dodgers skipper was in awe of his superstar’s mental toughness. “I thought Shohei did a fantastic job of moving the ball around,” Roberts said, seeing Ohtani’s performance even after allowing three runs early in the game against a Phillies lineup that featured Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper. “You’ve got to change locations. His curveball was as good as I’ve seen it, but you have to have those guys honor the fastball. They hunt locations, they hunt velocities, and you have to keep them guessing. You can’t be predictable.”

And if anything, we can’t ignore the historical importance of the performance.

Shohei Ohtani and the things he does

Ohtani became the first player ever to start a playoff game as a pitcher and as a non-pitcher in the same postseason, and also joined Babe Ruth as only the second starting pitcher to bat higher than eighth. Babe Ruth was sixth in the lineup for the 1918 World Series. Additionally, his nine strikeouts were the third-most ever by a Dodgers pitcher in their career playoff debut. Only Don Newcombe with his 11 K’s in the 1949 World Series, and Tim Belcher, with 10 strikeouts in the 1988 NLDS, are ahead of Ohtani right now.

That’s why Dave Roberts said, “It’s really never been done, certainly at this level. I use the word compartmentalize a lot, this epitomizes compartmentalizing. He’s essentially two people in one game… I don’t know any other human that can manage those emotions. How do you not take to the mound? We continue to just witness history.”

And one bad hitting game doesn’t change the narrative: Shohei Ohtani is on his way to clinching a fourth MVP award, with a .282 batting average, 55 home runs, and 102 RBIs at the plate. Additionally, he has put up a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in his return from an elbow surgery year with limited mound appearances. All this came just one year after he led the Dodgers to their eighth World Series title, hitting .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases—without throwing a single pitch.

Isn’t it surprising what all the 31-year-old can do?