If you ask who the global star of MLB is, there is no doubt that one name that would make noise is Shohei Ohtani. However, his name and his performance just aren’t aligning this postseason. He has not performed the way anyone has expected, least of all his manager. Sure, they have won the first of their NLCS clash with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the score and margin were extremely low. Their skipper is not mincing his words. His message to LA’s superstar is clear—things have to change.

After a sensational regular season, Ohtani dominated both on the mound and at the plate—his October story has been a nightmare. In the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he went just 1 for 18 with nine strikeouts—a shocking slump and at the worst time possible. The Dodgers ended up advancing, nevertheless, but Dave Roberts made sure everyone knew that those numbers won’t cut it going in further.

“We’re not going to win the World Series with this kind of performance,” Roberts said, according to Bill Plunkett. He mentioned that Ohtani needs to control his aggressiveness outside the strike zone and also improve against left-handed pitchers. And now, even insiders are questioning Ohtani and whether he can get red hot this month at all.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield questioned Ohtani’s October spark, saying, “We’re about to witness Shohei Ohtani’s October breakout—Verdict: Not Real.” Schoenfield noted Ohtani’s struggles against the high-velocity pitching, particularly against arms averaging 97 mph or more. And here is the kicker—this is something that Milwaukee has plenty of, like Jacob Misiorowski, Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Aaron Ashby, plus Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, and Freddy Peralta.

David also reminded everyone that last postseason, too, Ohtani was so-so compared to his own standards. And now that he is hitting and pitching, asking him for the same production is a lot. “As hard as he pushes himself all season, and now that he’s also pitching again, it’s a lot to ask of him to keep crushing baseball at this regular-season rate.” Roberts, meanwhile, thinks the solution lies in fine-tuning rather than an overhaul. “He just has to improve his quality at bat… We all count on it,” the manager said. He focused on confidence and discipline as the force behind a resurgence. And right now the Dodgers need his two-way brilliance more than ever.

They are facing Milwaukee firepower, and every at-bat will count. Plus, Roki Sasaki, whom Roberts had tasked with a lot of responsibility with, had a questionable night. So right now, LA needs Ohtani to rediscover his rhythm, both in the box and on the mound, then the Dodgers’ WS dreams can stay alive. Otherwise, the margin of error right now is nil!

When Tyrese Haliburton trolled Milwaukee in style with a Shohei Ohtani jersey!

Tyrese Haliburton just reminded everyone that rivalries don’t really take the nights off. Yes, not even during the pre-season. The Indiana Pacers guard showed up courtside at the team’s preseason matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, and this is when fans noticed something different—he was wearing an LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani jersey.

Now, on any other day, you could take this with a grain of salt, but for now, the timing was telling. On this night, the Dodgers were playing the Milwaukee Brewers for game 1 of the National League Championship Series. And given Haliburton is from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the timing couldn’t have been more fitting to make a statement. And well, Hlaiburton’s playful rivalry with the Milwaukee fans is nothing new.

He was raised just an hour from the city, and he has had his fair share of battles with the Bucks. Including those matchups that were fiery last season in the season tournament. His signature “night night” celebration might still be living rent-free in the minds of many Wisconsin fans.

So yes, his showing up in an Ohtani jersey was not just fashion; it was Tyrese being funny and confident and also maybe in tune with the moment. Sure, some Brewers fans rolled their eyes, and some couldn’t help but laugh at the wit of the young star.