Shohei Ohtani’s figure has created a sensation not just among Los Angeles Dodgers fans, but across the entire MLB community. Because the Japanese is a baseball legend, it is hard not to mention him on days his team plays and even on days he does not.
Ohtani’s admiration and respect extend even to his competitors, who take the opportunity to praise him. Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals exemplified this by mentioning Ohtani’s constant presence on social media and expressing that he never tires of watching his performances.
Ohtani and social media
In conversation with expert Chris Rose on Monday’s episode of “Dugout Discussions”, Nootbaar described Ohtani as a unique talent, highlighting that his ability to be elite as both a hitter and a pitcher is something that future generations will look upon in awe.
Moreover, he mentioned Ohtani’s presence on MLB’s networks. “Yeah, I’ve seen them (the Ohtani clips on social media). However, they don’t tire me out. I doubt I’m sending a message to the MLB Instagram account like, ‘Hey, can you post this home run I hit or this 102 mph pitch? Nootbaar stated, “What he’s doing is quite amazing.”
Ohtani and Nootbaar, teammates and rivals
While playing at club level Ohtani and Nootbaar are rivals and play for their lives in every duel, they are also teammates playing for Japan, as both were part of the team that won the gold medal at the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The respect between the two is very great and when they play together they can complement each other very well and when they have to be rivals, there will be great competition, but also a healthy rivalry in which both can bring out the best in each other.
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