Will Shohei Ohtani pitch in 2024? Andrew Friedman, Brandon Gomes Weigh

Shohei Ohtani did everything a designated hitter can do to earn the Most Valuable Player award and more.

On Thursday in Miami, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases. He became the first member of the 50-50 Baseball Club, setting a franchise single-season record for home runs (51).

Not surprisingly, the Dodgers officially secured a spot in the postseason by defeating the Marlins 20-4. Although it was far from a given, manager Dave Roberts took a moment to mark the occasion with a champagne toast after the game. The Dodgers' magic number to win the National League West is six.

With the postseason berth now official, it's time to look ahead to October. Perhaps no question is more pressing than who will make up the Dodgers' 13-man pitching staff.

It will be difficult to find innings in a beleaguered, injury-plagued group. Manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will rest no less than five days. Clayton Kershaw is trying to recover from a bone spur in his left big toe. Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler and perhaps Landon Knack will likely need to step up to overcome the limitations of the Dodgers' other starters.

The Dodgers have a pitcher on their active roster who has a history of garnering American League Cy Young Award votes in Ohtani. He hasn't thrown all year – and only recently started throwing a mound – as he recovers from internal brace surgery last September.

Manager Dave Roberts left the door at least ajar when he told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that it would be a big challenge for Ohtani to pitch in October.

More recently, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and General Manager Brandon Gomes have done their best to close that door entirely.

The idea of ​​making Ohtani a postseason pitching option probably won't even be mentioned at the meeting, Friedman told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“Right now he's thrown about five bullpens, which corresponds to January, late January in his development (in a normal offseason setup) and October, which is sometime in the middle to late season for live BPs, as it were Pitchers do when they come to spring training,” Friedman told Plunkett.

Gomes told MLB Network on Friday that this is “not in the plans at this time.”

The Dodgers don't need Ohtani as a pitcher if he has more games like Thursday's.