Old scouting report shredding Shohei Ohtani has Dodgers fans in stitches after Game 3

What Shohei Ohtani did in Game 4 of the NLCS will simply never be forgotten. The Los Angeles Dodgers megastar executed arguably the greatest single-game performance in the history of MLB, hitting three home runs and striking out 10 batters as LA’s starting pitcher. The timing of Ohtani’s alien-like clinic was also legendary, as it launched the Dodgers into their second-straight World Series.

It was a night for Ohtani that might, in hindsight, end up being a microcosm of his astounding singularity as arguably the greatest talent the game has ever seen. The ridiculous showcase from Ohtani also validated Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ handling of Shohei this season. While Ohtani was blasting 1,342 feet of home runs over three at-bats and looking unhittable on the mound for six-plus innings, it was impossible to argue that Roberts’ year-long plan for Shohei hasn’t paid off.

And while Ohtani’s masterclass of all masterclasses will have ripple effects on the future of the sport, it also provided fans an occasion to look back with humor at a time when Shohei wasn’t yet a generational star, or in some cases, was even doubted as a prospect.

It was especially funnier after his performance in Game 3 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, when he went 4-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and FIVE walks. He didn't record a single out. He got on base nine times in the Dodgers' 6-5 win in that 18 inning marathon. Blue Jays manager John Schneider sounded defeated in the postgame about whether or not he'd continue to pitch to Ohtani.

Atrocious Shohei Ohtani scouting take from years ago resurfaces, sending fans into disbelief

While Game 4 was outrageous enough to convince a casual fan that Ohtani arrived in MLB fully formed via UFO, Shohei, like the rest of us mere mortals, was once a high school student.

The comparison to the common man pretty much stops there, though, as Shohei was already throwing 99 MPH as an 18-year-old prospect at Hanamaki Higashi High School in northern Japan, setting a Japanese high school record in 2012 that held until Roki Sasaki came along and threw 101 MPH as a teenager in 2018.

Ohtani, a two-way monster on the baseball diamond even then, wanted to go straight to an MLB franchise and forego any professional years in Japan. That wasn’t in the cards for him, though, as the Dodgers, his MLB franchise of preference, weren’t interested at the time in letting him play two ways.

Ohtani ended up playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013-2017 before signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels on Dec. 9, 2017, and the rest is history.

Looking back, the Dodgers might look silly for turning away at Shohei’s two-way talent early on, but that still doesn’t compare at all to the madness of some scouts who completely doubted Ohtani’s ability to hit MLB pitching.

Now that Ohtani has reminded everyone that he’s the GOAT, fans are having a field day with a former quote from a scout on Ohtani: “He’s basically like a high school hitter.”

In one instance, the recently-arrived Freddie Freeman meme was aptly used to express utter dismay at Ohtani once being characterized as a novice hitter.

It's safe to say that anti-Ohtani takes have aged horrifically, and any scout who wasn't all-in on Shohei should probably be scrambling to wipe evidence of such nonsense from their digital footprint.

They've been reminded countless times this postseason in the most impactful ways possible, if that wasn't enough.