MLB's Mysterious Superstar Decoded: Mookie on Shohei Ohtani

[@corbencarter-dixon5758]

“We got Ohtani’d” is a cold ass line.

[@morimo11]

😂

[@JaybeeAU]

That line would be perfect if Shohei became a closer instead of a SP.

[@corbencarter-dixon5758]

@ PREACH!!!!

[@corbencarter-dixon5758]

@ But they already got Tanner Scott

[@seantuohy3100]

Sho v trout was iconic. I watched it in Australia with my sports hating partner and she was blown away. That final breaking ball was cold ❄️❄️❄️

[@gabrielv.2647]

He is the face of baseball! Even more after this 50/50 season. He is the first to ever do that in the history of the sport, all the greats of all time in the sport, legends, icons couldnt do what he did, the 150 plus years of baseball he is the first to Do it. He is a unicorn in a game of stallions

[@kellykarcher7179]

Ohtani is a phenomenal baseball player, but you do know that it's so much easier to steal bases now than ever before. Not only are the bases closer together, but the pitcher can only attempt three pick-off throws. And if the pitcher doesn't pick the runner off on the 3rd try, it's a balk. Way too easy to steal now! I hate that new rule!!!

[@gabrielv.2647]

@kellykarcher7179 I agree 💯 with ya not a fan either, but you think that's why he got the 50 stolen bags?

[@kellykarcher7179]

@@gabrielv.2647 Without a doubt that's the reason why he was able to steal 50 bags. If MLB didn't implement the new rule and employ larger bases, base stealing would still be a rare feat. The success rate of stealing a base is at an all-time high and this is why you see more players stealing bases. MLB has got to go back to the old rule of allowing the pitcher to throw over to 1st base as often as they wish. I personally love the "cat and mouse" game of it all! I'm okay with the larger bases though...

[@gabrielv.2647]

@kellykarcher7179 believe me. Hear ya part of me agrees but the other part would say I remember guys back in the day like your Juan Pierre, your j. Reyes, k lofton, Ichiro, R Furcal, D. Gordon, B. Hamilton just to ame a few when they where stealing bags before the rule, they where the exception because of the speed, in my opinion I feel Othani is the exception on my at his size,.speed, frame. And he is a lefty at 6'4 has longer strides and closer to get to the bags because of that size, but if it was the bag then how come all these fast guys aren't stealing 50? Playing devil's advocate yes ha but I agree in part with what your saying 💯🙏

[@kellykarcher7179]

@@gabrielv.2647 MLB players stole more bases this past season than they have in 109 years. The success rate was at an all-time high of 81%. Ohtani is tall, fast, and gets on base a ton, but I believe players like Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman would've stolen over 150 bases a season in their prime if today's pick-off rules and size of the bases were implemented back when they had played. IMO, it's no longer a great achievement to steal a base. MLB has made it far too easy to do so and this is why today's players are now running with reckless abandon...

[@GravityFalloutPines]

Mookie Betts is such a class act and a great ambassador for baseball. Great interview, thank you!

[@abp1400]

Let's not forget. Mookie Betts was MVP in 2018. So for a guy of his level to speak about Ohtani's abilities, man that's a tell on how great Ohtani is.

[@the1kamikaze]

And Stephen A. Smith said Shohei Otani can't be the face of MLB. 😂

[@bo0gi3]

ESPN made him walk that back the very next day lmaoo

[@blessembreaks]

and ppl say Stephen A. aint racist 😂

[@MichaelTorres-wr2pm]

Stephen A. Smith even relevant anymore?

[@mobid.2084]

He was just saying what he learned from the most racist country in the world on behalf of the listeners and higher-ups that gave him his platform. (For the record, Stephen A is not very good and I don’t respect his perspective. Those are some of the reasons I excommunicated him from my life at least a half decade ago but he came by all his traits honestly.)

[@otani928]

@@blessembreaksa black dude that’s racist in America …impossible …woke folk will choke in outrage

[@surfwriter8461]

I can see how it's hard to go out in public when you can't be anonymous and everyone wants to approach you, take photos with you, etc. I saw a comment from a guy on another site where he said he had been to Japan recently and all the soda machines had Ohtani's picture on them. The guy is viewed as almost god-like in Japan and now the face of MLB with three MVP awards and so many amazing accomplishments. He has been very selective about his endorsement deals, so I doubt he even signed off on such merchandizing. He's not a publicity hog or craving attention, but he stands out anywhere he goes.

[@tommyfu9271]

Yea that has to suck. I'd love to be rich but nobody knows it. A lot of baseball players can blend in but he really can't.

[@nathan.portwood]

yeah it's true, I can't walk outside in Japan without seeing his face. There's even a emerging internet term 大谷ハラ "ohtani harassment" that's emerged from having fatigue of his omnipresence in ads and in sports reporting.

[@surfwriter8461]

​@@nathan.portwood Interesting. There's a saying that used to be more popular than it seems to be now: Get a life. That fits with the obsession that so many people have when following a revered figure like a celebrity. Many people go overboard, largely out of dissatisfaction with their own rather boring lives.

[@PaddyMcMe]

Shohei got me into baseball proper, but Mookie is now my favourite player. The guy can just plain hit, like if Ichiro could also swing for the fences. But more importantly, Mookie plays the game with such joy and freedom, he makes you love the game. Nobody on earth can dislike Mookie.

[@TyRys-ml3nh]

As a Red Sox fan, I miss him so much but so happy he helped get us a World Series win

[@99bimmer]

You mean "If Ichiro WOULD swing for the fences" he had a bunch of power, but he wanted to set tables for the rest of the lineup

[@shutthefupdonny]

Mookie’s awesome but no human being alive will ever be like Ichiro. Unless they can get 200+ hits a season for ten consecutive years.

[@ScallywagSam]

Just got back from japan, his posters are everywhere whether its promoting the world series or his brands

[@messi.CR7.inoue.goat.player]

日本人としてボクシングの井上尚弥と野球の大谷翔平は日本では神のように崇拝されています😅

[@kelin6293]

tbh, as a typical well-educated Japanese, Shohei has improved massively this year, he literally participates in the US community like never before

[@burningknuckle26]

Sho Aura unmatched

[@mythictyrant3]

50-50 and almost won the triple crown by a few points. Probably would have hit 60-60 if he was lead off the entire season. Simple amazing! But MAN IOH MAN Mookie Betts would be the coolest teammate!

[@atlmswbko4394]

I read someone's English excerpt of a Shohei Ohtani's fairly recent TV interview in Japan. To paraphrase, Ohtani said that Eppei Mizuhara's bank fraud incident took a toll on him mentally and physically (time wise, all kinds of meetings with investigators and others & not sleeping enough from what he's used to). So he started out the 2024 season rough. He said he's still not completely over it.

[@SteveDave211]

Imagine if Acuna got to DH. Would have been 50/85.

[@miracledaysband]

@@atlmswbko4394 Totally understandable.

[@山中宏行]

​@@SteveDave211 Thank you a great deal for educating me because I used to think there should be no room in the sport of baseball for WOULDA, COULDA and SHOULDA until you just taught me otherwise.

[@SteveDave211]

@山中宏行 your welcome sir.

[@Guyver313]

I'm not a Dodger fan. Go Ohtani and Mookie. 2 MVP players

[@CP4Z167]

Get Sho on the show 🙏

[@masonkim7]

0:10 what did Matt Barnes say that made Mookie and Jackson laugh?

[@smileyface1288214]

I thought it was “does he have hoes?”

[@lvlopez619]

Yes, asked of he had hoes 😂

[@nofreehooks]

“He got some hoes?” 😂😂

[@commentedrelationship]

He asked if Ohtani has hos

[@surfwriter8461]

@@commentedrelationship That's more rude than funny. Shohei is married and I don't think he would do stuff that smeared his reputation in MLB and in Japan.

[@LongieR8er]

Mookie with the oven mit over his head 😂…still love you bro 😅

[@bobbyjones7609]

hes not more of a competitor than i am. he doesnt do any less than he needs to. doesnt do any more than he needs to. mookie is great. quietly saying that shohei just comes to work and gets his job done. almost in a jealous way, that shohei is so good that he just does the normal work and is that much better than every one else. like we are always told that all these guys outwork everyone and that is why they are there. and then there is shohei, who understands the task and understands how to do it and not have to work extra hours and harder to be the best at it.

[@Paulallen83]

Am I tripping or did he ask the same exact question twice?

Gifted is the word mookie

[@mikeyoo9841]

Things can be changed, but as so far, Ottani is a very nice person as a baseball player.

[@dawa0411]

Mookie broke my heart when you left Boston😢

[@99bimmer]

That was Chaim Bloom's fault.

[@SteezyKyung]

The Dodgers are finally giving in to the “no matter how good you are, there will always be an asian out there who’s better than you”

[@weskelly4538]

😂😂😂

[@大山-c1n]

Fun fact: besides Trout, Mookie was someone who Ohtani thought is a great baseball player and wanted to play in a same team. That’s how great Mookie is.

[@kelvinquartey6888]

As a Yankee fan, I wish Betts never won for Boston. I like Betts' game alot

[@McLovin25165]

Literally forgot ohtani was also a pitcher

[@Poppi-Poppa-Socky]

He's not just a pitcher. He's literally the best pitcher on the planet. Along with the best hitter on the planet and possibly the best stolen base guy on the planet as well.

[@surfwriter8461]

​@ Let's not get carried away. Even as an Ohtani fan, I wouldn't make such exaggerated claims for him. He's an elite pitcher, one of the best. He's an elite hitter, one of the best. So he's what no one else has been in MLB: elite at both hitting and pitching. As for stolen bases, he learned in 2024 how to be a great base stealer, so he became great despite not being the fastest guy on his own team. It's speed plus strategy plus great execution.

[@daltonmoss2873]

I appreciate y’all’s podcast so much thank you for showing intriguing in the baseball world. 🙏🏻

[@johnniejones5890]

Ohtani is 6'4" - Based on his height alone, he is going to attract attention no matter where he goes (except for Central Europe where everyone seemed >6ft tall to me).

[@surfwriter8461]

He seems bigger than that, a pretty massive guy. Other players often comment, after being on the field next to him for the first time, that they're surprised at how big he is, that he looks larger in person even than he does on TV. I think he's likely close to 6'5" and definitely more than the 210 lbs he's been listed as for many years.

[@Boring_Derp]

What are you talking about. 6’4 people not named Shohei Ohtani no one gives a shit about

[@burningknuckle26]

bro thicc

[@surfwriter8461]

@ bro try speaking adult

[@thebillcollector]

Mookie is a humble dude, especially so because he is the best athlete playing in the MLB. But Shohei is a WORLDWIDE superstar, maybe even more so than MJ was, due to the internet and having an entire other country being in his corner promoting him, and him being on the mound shutting down Americas "best player" in Mike Trout to clinch the WBC title. The WORLDWIDE Baseball Championship. MLB players rarely become worldwide superstars and Ohtani is definitely just that. Mookie knows the difference

[@PMorinaga]

Stephen smithdid change his tune and since has positive comments. And what does speaking Eng. make anyone more relevant, typical American comment. He uses a translator in interviews so he doesnst use the wrong words to get his msg across

[@Hala-hk8te]

Stephen smith changed his tune cause of the backlash he meant every single shit he said now hes asskissing 😂😂

[@PMorinaga]

mookie didnt mentiin that Sho got him to hit into double play before Mike came up.

[@VGJunky]

he said they got Ohtani'd that covers it lol

[@tornadotom2390]

If we want him to stay around for more than 4 years we definitely do not want him to start pitching again. As amazing as it is as good as a pitcher as he is he is a better hitter. And then there's the fact that your chances of getting injured being a pitcher in a 4-year span compared to being a hitter is way higher. Let him hit. If you let him make the choice he'll do both and he'll diminish his career by cutting it short

[@herewegoagain7403]

i agree, BUT fans pay to see the modern babe ruth, and he wants to be a two way player....he's at the end of his prime years, not getting any younger. we need to see greatness now before it diminish

[@surfwriter8461]

Don't tell a unique player how to approach his career. He wants to be hitting and pitching at the same time, and he's done it well in the past. Yes, there's a risk of injury when pitching, and he can concentrate more on hitting when he's not focused on pitching as well. But he loves doing both, he's elite at both, and he stands out more from every other player when doing both. Plus, it's fun to see him pitch.

[@mindbully]

DODGERS!

[@miraeja]

Doesn’t he not go out because he puts himself on a super tight sleep schedule?

[@MarioRuiz-v4x]

You don't see him ? Go to Vegas you'll see him on a poker table but not betting lol

[@tootspogsforever5590]

I believe he's with your mom most of the time!!😀😃

[@jeffislearning]

TALENT BEATS HARD WORK EVERYTIME

[@gonzarellious6102]

Nope. Hard work can get you to great heights. Talent without hard work will get you nothing.

[@Shakazulu6.1]

What people don’t understand is Ohtani works harder than anyone. His former manager from the Japan team said Ohtani would tell him “not enough” every time he saw him. He hit and threw harder than anyone in the league but still he felt it wasn’t enough so he would go and train some more. One of his staff texted that manager “this is a Christmas gift for you. It’s Shohei right now in the late night of Christmas. He sent a video of Ohtani training by himself in their ballpark. That year, the team won the Japan series and the coaches, players and staff were spending time with their families at their home during Christmas break, but Ohtani was training in the ballpark alone. The staff stopped by at the park to pick up some stuff and noticed Ohtani training by himself. He threw the fastest ball as a high schooler in Japan, he said not enough. Years later, He threw the fastest ball as a Japanese professional player and he said not enough. It seems he was working hard aiming 15-20 years ahead. This is one of the reason Ohtani is so special.

[@mariogallego5513]

Dear rest of the league, ya'll is cooked. My Dodgers are gonna repeat. Sorry to ruin the surprise for y'all.

[@matthewpulizos3444]

Well yeah, if you guys don’t win at least 110 games and the ws it’s the worst choke job in sports history and it won’t be particularly close. Don’t even need to watch this year

[@timgimmy609]

lmk when you get that 3peat

[@Abeagle24]

@@matthewpulizos3444why? No one has repeated in 20+ years.

[@matthewpulizos3444]

@@Abeagle24 and none of those teams had 10 starting pitchers(5 number 1s for 90% of the league), the best bullpen in the league, best player ever, 3 MVPs hitting 1-3 folllowed by like 3-4 other all stars, most expensive roster ever assembled lol.

[@Abeagle24]

@ the Mets have the most expensive roster ever assembled

[@DUHPAWZ2579]

How do half the people at ESPN have jobs

[@backinhighschool94]

The one and only 50/50! Some say others would have done it if they played under the new rules for base stealing. Not true…in order for one to do 50/50 you would need to hit 50 homers. There’s only one man that hit 50+ homers and had 30+ steal…that’s Ohtani. Now if one had 50+ homers and 40+ steal…maybe he may have achieved with the new rules I don’t know.

[@MsNeil7777]

🦄

[@ticnatz]

Just my opinion...and I bet many would disagree, but it might behoove Shohei & the Dodgers, to consider becoming a relief pitcher, perhaps even a closer. Less stress on an already strained arm. Food for thought....

[@MannyLoxx2010]

Ohtani is the greatest, two-way player of all-time in MLB history (DH/Pitcher), but needs to accomplish much more to be considered the greatest player of all-time! His individual stats aren't their, yet! His homeruns, RBI's and other offensive numbers aren't their! 878 hits, 225 home runs, 567 RBIs, and a 282 batting average in 7 seasons in MLB are nice numbers but not mindblowing! I believe Ohtani's offensive numbers would be higher if he didn't pitch! Still, an amazing, once in a generation or once in a century talent that wasted his first 6-seasons in a mediocre organization like the Angels! His numbers would be a lot higher if he was in a much better team than the Angels. I do think he could have another 50/50 season but cannot pitch if he does it, again. If the Dodgers have him pitch in 2025, his offensive numbers are going to go down by 20%, minimum, because pitching takes a tole on the body through out the long ass baseball season. The Dodgers don't need Ohtani to pitch, since they're stack at pitching going into the 2025 season! Ohtani is the face of MLB worldwide and will continue to be for many years to come! MLB history is my expertise and baseball was the first sport I fell in love with at 6! At this point in my life at 45, I continue to love the game but basketball and soccer are the two other sports I also love.

[@tootspogsforever5590]

He's the greatest imo when he wins his 4th MVP and 2nd WS this year! The "greatest" is now measured with consistency the last 4 years and he's done that or will be definitely doing it sans last year's pitching because of the injury 😊

[@drunknmasta90]

This is mookie tho. All star. Very humble. Shohei might get in a slump and mookie,freeman, or Hernandez and co get the job done

[@SteveDave211]

Wish Ohtani played the OF as Mookie was hitting good until his injury and would have benefitted playing DH if Ohtani didnt hog it.

[@yamamancha]

Ohtani was rehabbing his throwing arm so he couldn't play OF.

[@Hala-hk8te]

@@yamamancha 50 50 with a torn ucl they still hate its chill

[@SteveDave211]

@@yamamancha For the first few months maybe yet Bryce Harper had the same injury at a later date and was playing the field after a few months.

[@yamamancha]

@@SteveDave211 Harper doesn't have to pitch. You can't compare the two.

[@SteveDave211]

@@yamamancha Ohtani didnt pitch either.

[@Ok-bv2kk]

Mookie is better than Ohtani

[@hughjass69702]

Glad to see ohtani donate all that money for the wildfires...oh wait

[@tommyfu9271]

he did.

[@hughjass69702]

@tommyfu9271 how much?

[@AnonYmous-po7hg]

more than you make in a decade

[@hughjass69702]

@@AnonYmous-po7hg well yeah

[@eroz0]

@@hughjass69702 half a million dollars

[@giomunoz5252]

No one sees Shohei cause he’s too busy betting lmao 😭😭

[@Matae2k]

What a sad life you live😢

[@oColt45o]

Biggest Shohei fan, but 50 stolen bases isn't what it used to be.

[@tommyfu9271]

59 steals and only 4 CS is pretty absurd even with the bigger bases.

[@oColt45o]

@tommyfu9271 It isn't that impressive with bases being 6" closer together. That is A LOT in the game of baseball.

[@tommyfu9271]

@ then why aren't more people doing it? To top it off he's doing it as a top 3 hitter in baseball who can also be an elite starter. He's not some slap dick Billy Hamilton type.

[@oColt45o]

@@tommyfu9271 Poor people? Stolen bases were up across the league.

[@tommyfu9271]

@ more people* right but if it's so easy why aren't they going 59/4?