Shohei Ohtani’s biggest playoff day was his first. That’s not to dismiss his overall postseason contributions: he had a boring World Series and a funny stretch where he only got clutch hits, but considering the sample size, his numbers come out as entirely respectable, if not expected. On the other hand, the expectation was typical Ohtani inevitability. Something like, for example, in the very first game of the NLDS, when the Dodgers were down by three runs in the second inning, and Ohtani hit a high fastball from Padres ace Dylan Cease to tie the game in one fell swoop. After six seasons without a postseason Ohtani, suddenly he was there.

None of the other postseason days had the same feel as the first, due to a combination of Ohtani’s aforementioned entirely respectable struggles and the Dodgers’ postseason tendency to win or lose games by wide margins. But even when Ohtani didn’t get on base, he was there. First, there was that broadcast that counted down the batters until he would arrive at the plate. Then there was the fear of shoulder injuries. And Ohtani being Ohtani, even his failures mattered. In the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ Game 5, Gerrit Cole struck out Ohtani’s fellow 80 FV prospect Gavin Lux with the bases loaded. Good: It’s Gavin Lux. But then Cole struck out Ohtani, and That meant something. It’s a simple truth: big players make big moments seem bigger, but hey, there you have it.

As much as people may find the World Series stars’ general unhappiness ironic in an Alanis Morissette-esque way, MLB ultimately didn’t need Ohtani and future fellow MVP Aaron Judge to produce highlights. The judge found the way to get there last night. He clawed back from the statistical irrelevance of the World Series, helping to win the game (initially) and then lose the series (eventually) for his team; Ohtani struck out with the bases loaded and won his first ring. Highs and even lows are notable benefits for viewers, but stars, if they are big enough, even if they do nothing, can still change the way fans watch just by standing there. To some, it felt a bit like a monkey’s paw reward that Ohtani’s chosen contending team was the Dodgers, but after that, wasn’t it worth it, even at the expense of Tungsten Arm O’Doyle?

The greatest irony of Alanis Morissette is that it happened so quickly. Last season, Ohtani was with the Los Angeles Angels Angelswho had made a necessary and failed attempt during a postseason run. And now he’s at the top of the lineup with two other future Hall of Famers, and Mike Trout is still stuck in town. It’s the inverse of Bryce Harper’s free agency story, and a nice reminder that the mistakes you make at 23, like signing with the Los Angeles Angels or Anaheim, won’t necessarily doom you for the rest of your life.

The whiplash of it all still makes the whole situation feel implausible: that Ohtani doesn’t have to break his back to carry his team to a match win, let alone a series win; that a year after his Angels failed to reach the playoffs, Ohtani already won his first World Series; that Ohtani announced a dog, woman and new interpreter in a very short time. Things like that really shouldn’t happen. But then again, it’s very Shohei Ohtani. The game has already changed.

It’s unlikely there’s anything more to wait for. Ohtani is such a hitter that it could be easy to forget he’s pitching this year. Now imagine a postseason where his UCL is fully recovered and he is on the mound. That’s almost too good to hope for – unless you’re affiliated with the Angels, in which case it’s too terrible to even think about.