‘It stung a little bit,” said a champagne-soaked Shohei Ohtani.

The Japanese superstar was celebrating a first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers that has gone pretty well

GettyOhtani led the Dodgers to the title in the West[/caption]

His bobblehead giveaway set attendance records, his dog became a social media star, he posted the first 50 home run/50 steal season in MLB history.

And he appears to be a lock to win the National League MVP Award – for the third time – after a record-setting season.

On Thursday night, following the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres, he reached another milestone.

He’ll finally get to play in the MLB Postseason. 

The win secured the Dodgers’ 11th NL West title in 12 years, and sent Ohtani, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, to the MLB playoffs for the first time.

Naturally, he was going to celebrate the occasion.

After soaking in the adulation of a raucous Dodger Stadium crowd with his teammates, Ohtani posed for postgame photos on the field with his wife, Mamiko, and his famed pooch, Decoy.

Holding the pup in his arms, Ohtani tried to get Decoy to stay still for a pic, with mixed results.

In the dog’s defense, it was a pretty exciting moment — before heading into the locker room to pop some celebratory champagne. 

This was his first time he’d been through MLB’s version of a champagne toast, so Ohtani was  a little underprepared.

GettyChampagne corks were flying in the Dodgers clubhouse[/caption]

GettyCelebrations have been a regular part of the Ohtani experience[/caption]

He didn’t put on a pair of goggles to protect his eyes from the spray, or when teammate Max Muncy dumped a full bottle of bubbly on his head.

But Ohtani didn’t seem to mind.

“It was an awesome feeling, and I’m hoping to continue to be able to pop more champagne,” he told reporters following the celebration.

“It stung a little bit in my eyes, but hopefully it won’t cause too much damage.”

With a spot in the postseason finally secure, Ohtani and the Dodgers can turn their attention back to winning the World Series.

The win on Thursday night over the Padres, who clinched a Wild Card birth themselves earlier in the week, was a key one.

It keeps them one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the best record in the National League — and home field advantage throughout the MLB Postseason.

“Today I came to the stadium really wanting to clinch, and I’m glad we were able to do that,” Ohtani told the media.

“For us players and for the fans, it was a special moment. But there is more to do.”

Ohtani is enjoying a season to remember with the DodgersGetty

Ohtani was the most sought after agent in MLB history during the offseason, when he made the decision to leave the Angels.

Having been heavily linked with the Toronto Blue Jays, Ohatni took to Instagram in June to announce his decision to cross town to join the Dodgers.

His 10-year, $700m deal kept him in Los Angeles, and left the Blue Jays frustrated

“We were obviously very disappointed with the outcome,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said after Ohtani’s decision.

“And it was a very difficult phone call to receive, one of the more difficult ones in my career. There’s no doubt in my mind he was exceptionally attracted to this country, this city, this team.

“We felt incredible about the process, but we moved on.”

Ohtani’s ambition was to win, and he is pole position to land the ultimate team prize – the prize he left the Angels to win.