Even before Shohei Ohtani delivers his first pitch in the postseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way star will have already made history.
Ohtani's second career playoff appearance comes on the heels of a World Series-winning run last season. He batted .230 with three home runs and 10 RBIs as the Dodgers' starting designated hitter. However, a major difference between this postseason and the last is Ohtani's availability as a pitcher.
In his first pitching action since undergoing a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament in 2023, Ohtani started in 14 regular-season games in limited capacity. He pitched in just 47 innings for an ERA of 2.87 with 62 strikeouts and just nine walks.
With Ohtani on the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, he will be the fourth player to start a playoff game at pitcher and another position in his postseason career. He is notably the first player to do so in the same postseason. Ohtani, who has batted leadoff or second all season, would also be the first starting pitcher to hit higher than sixth in the lineup -- where Babe Ruth batted in the 1918 World Series -- in a postseason game.
Here's a look at other players in MLB history who started at pitcher and another position in their playoff careers.
Rick Ankiel, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves
Starting positions: Pitcher (2000), center fielder (2010)
Ankiel began his career on the mound with the Cardinals, pitching from 2000 to 2004. His lone postseason appearance included two starts -- and one other appearance -- with four innings thrown, allowing five hits for seven runs.
In 2005, injury problems and a struggle to find his command made Ankiel decide to transition to being an outfielder. He returned to the majors in 2007 with St. Louis, then signed with the Kansas City Royals as their center fielder in 2010.
The Royals dealt him to the Braves that season, where Ankiel started at center field in four playoff games and batted .167 with one home run.
Smoky Joe Wood, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians
Starting positions: Pitcher (1912), right fielder (1920)
There are two stages of Wood's career -- one as a full-time pitcher and as a full-time outfielder. However, he remained impressively consistent during both stints.
In 1912, Wood had a whopping 34-7 regular season record as a pitcher with a league-leading 35 complete games and ten shutouts. In the playoffs, he went 3-1 with 21 strikeouts, leading the Red Sox to their second World Series title in franchise history.
When Wood moved on to Cleveland in 1917, he gave up pitching full time, appearing on the mound only six times across six years. His role as a hitter resulted in another World Series ring -- he batted .200 to aid Cleveland in its first championship-winning run.
Babe Ruth, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees
Starting positions: Pitcher (1916, 1918), left/right fielder (1921-1923, 1926-1928, 1932)
The Bambino was Major League Baseball's original two-way star, entering the league primarily as a pitcher before becoming a dominant hitter.
His pitching career peaked statistically in 1916, when he posted a league-leading 1.75 ERA in 40 starts with nine shutouts. That same year, he threw a complete game with one run allowed in a single postseason start, with the Red Sox winning the World Series. Babe displayed similar dominance two years later, allowing just two runs in two starts during another championship campaign -- he also had two RBIs in six plate appearances.
The Red Sox famously sent Ruth to the Yankees in a January 1920 trade, and he began to make his name in the batter's box. From 1921 to 1932, the Yankees reached the postseason seven times. Ruth started in the outfield and had a postseason batting average of .347 with 15 home runs and 30 RBIs, winning four titles.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
