Shohei Ohtani Having Offensive Slump in 2025 NLDS Ignites WILD Reactions on Social Media: “Man Hitting Worse Than Volpe”

Shohei Ohtani managed just one hit in the 4 NLDS games against the Philadelphia Phillies and has a batting average of .148 this postseason.

Shohei Ohtani Having Offensive Slump in 2025 NLDS Ignites WILD Reactions on Social Media: “Man Hitting Worse Than Volpe”

Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

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Shohei Ohtani is going through an offensive slump at the moment. The reigning National League MVP went 1-for-17 in the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Philadelphia Phillies. This ignited some wild reactions among MLB fans on social media.

The Japanese international had another fantastic regular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After hitting 54 home runs last year, he did one better this year.

Ohtani slammed 55 home runs this season. He became the first player after Alex Rodriguez in 2002 to have back-to-back seasons with 50 or more home runs. He has also resumed his two-way role and taken up the pitching role.

The two-way role seems to have taken a bit toll on his offense. After hitting 2 home runs against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, his bat has gone quiet. In the 4 games of the NLDS, he had just one hit. He is 4-for-27 with his batting average down to .148.

He indirectly did have a huge moment in Game 4. With two runners on base and two outs, relief pitcher Jhoan Duran would intentionally walk him and load up the bases.

The Phillies pitcher seemed to be in no mood to face him. He would then give up a walk to Mookie Betts, which tied the game at 1-1 in the 7th inning. Given the form Ohtani was in, some argued that intentionally walking him was not a wise decision.

The Dodgers eventually went over the line through a wild finish. With the bases loaded and two outs again in the 11th inning, Andy Pages would break his bat while hitting a grounder towards the mound.

Pitcher Orion Kerkering picked up the ball and threw the pitch back towards the catcher to get the final out. However, he ended up throwing the ball wide and out of the reach of J.T. Realmuto, which allowed the Dodgers to walk it off and reach the National League Championship Series (NLCS) for the 10th time in their last 18 years.

Social media reacts to Shohei Ohtani having a slump in batting during postseason

After having another great regular season, Shohei Ohtani is struggling in the postseason once again. Last year, he went 14-for-61 with just 3 home runs and 10 RBIs in the playoffs while batting with an average of .230.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via X/@BRWalkoff)

His average this year has fallen below .150. Fans on social media would take a shot at him and troll him. One user dropped the name of Anthony Volpe and took a swipe at him as well by writing, “Man hitting worse than Volpe.” Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Ohtani was expected to start Game 5 of the NLDS had the Phillies tied the series at 2-2 with a Game 4 win. He is now expected to start Game 1 of the NLCS and begin the Championship Series for the Dodgers. His first postseason start as a pitcher was a success, and the team would be hoping for a similar performance in his NLCS start.

Dave Roberts claimed Shohei Ohtani’s decision making has not been good ahead of Game 4

As the team suffered a crushing 8-2 loss in Game 3, the pressure was back on the Los Angeles Dodgers to deliver. Ahead of Game 4, there were some questions thrown at the form of Shohei Ohtani. His manager, Dave Roberts, called him out and expressed that his decision-making had not been good.

Dave Roberts and Shohei Ohtani
Dave Roberts and Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago/X/@DodgerBlue1958)

While speaking with the media before the game, the 53-year-old pointed out the swing decisions of his player and simply claimed that they were not where it needs to be.

I just think that his decision-making hasn’t been good. You can see, it’s balls in/off, and he’s really not giving himself a chance to hit a mistake. I just think that he’s in between a little bit, but the swing decisions are just not where they need to be right now. That’s kind of what I see, decision-making.

Dave Roberts told the reporters

Roberts, however, also claimed that the left-handed pitchers of the Phillies had given the 3-time MLB MVP a hard time.

Roberts and his team will be hoping for him to break out of this slump soon as they prepare for the NLCS. A victory in this series will take them one step closer to a successful defense of their World Series title.

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