The Top 5 Best Individual Game Performances in MLB History

When Shohei Ohtani took the mound and stepped to the plate in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, he didn’t just have a great night — he delivered a performance that already has many calling it the greatest single-game showing in Major League Baseball history.

Here are five of the most remarkable individual game performances ever — with Ohtani’s two-way masterpiece at the top of the list.

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1. Shohei Ohtani – Oct. 17, 2025, for the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers

• Ohtani pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out 10.

• At the plate, he went 3-for-3 with three solo home runs (in the 1st, 4th and 7th innings) as the Dodgers clinched the pennant with a 5-1 victory.

• He became the first player in MLB history — regular season or postseason — to hit three home runs in a game while also fanning 10 batters as a pitcher.

• Many observers declared this “the greatest individual game in postseason history.”
  Why it leads the list:
  Because Ohtani didn’t just dominate in one phase — he owned the mound and the batter’s box on the biggest stage. That level of two-way dominance in a postseason clincher elevates this to a unique territory.

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2. Rick Wise – June 23, 1971, for the Philadelphia Phillies

• Wise pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds.

• He also hit two home runs in that same game, becoming one of the very few pitchers ever to do so.

• It stands as an extraordinary example of a pitcher contributing at the plate in unusual fashion.

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3. Tony Cloninger – July 3, 1966, for the Atlanta Braves

• Cloninger hit two grand slams in the same game, becoming the first player in MLB history to do so.

• He also pitched a complete game and drove in nine runs in that game.

• Rarely does a pitcher contribute so heavily on offense and deliver dominant pitching.

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4. Mark Whiten – Sept. 7, 1993, for the St. Louis Cardinals

• Whiten hammered four home runs in the game and drove in 12 runs, tying the MLB single-game RBI record. Wikipedia

• A monster offensive outing that still ranks among the all-time individual performances.

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5. Reggie Jackson – Oct. 18, 1977, in Game 6 of the World Series for the New York Yankees

• Jackson smashed three home runs on three consecutive pitches in the 6th, 4th, and 8th innings, all off the same pitcher, securing the series for the Yankees.

• His nickname “Mr. October” was sealed that night — a clutch historic performance on perhaps the biggest stage.

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Why Ohtani’s day stands above the rest

While the others on this list delivered performances that will never be forgotten, Ohtani’s night checks every box: historic two-way dominance, postseason context, an achievement never before seen, and a game that will live forever. It’s not just “one of the best” — it may very well be the best.