The 2024 Major League Baseball regular season is just about over. Sunday's slate wrapped Game 162 for 28 of 30 teams, the culmination of a six-month-long slog that ends -- for a lucky few -- with the playoffs.

Consider two points of reference. The first is the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the closest thing Ohtani has experienced to the postseason. In 33 plate appearances, Ohtani batted .435 with a 1.345 OPS. He also produced a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings, concluding the tournament in dramatic fashion by striking out Mike Trout.