Opposing Pitcher Says It's a 'Blessing' to Play at the Same Time as Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani

Maren Angus-Coombs | Apr 13, 2024

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers arrived in Minnesota late Sunday night for a three-game series against the Twins that started Monday and some of the Twins players couldn't contain their excitement to pitch against one of the game's best hitters.

In a post on social media by Bally Sports North, pitchers Brock Stewart and Pablo Lopez appeared in the video and spoke about facing Ohtani.

“Shohei Ohtani is the best player in the world and the best player of all time," said Stewart. "What he’s doing is crazy. He can hit, he can pitch, he can run, he can do it all. It’s very, very special.”

“I cannot imagine how long his days must be, how long it took him to find the right routine, and just thinking about that makes me admire him," Lopez added. "And then when he performs the way he does, it’s a blessing that I’m playing at the same time that he is because I can understand and be grateful that I’m witnessing something like that.”

Lopez won't face Ohtani in this series but he has pitched against him before. Ohtani is 1-for-2 with a walk.

In Monday's game, Ohtani was 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run giving him eight extra-base hits in his last five games. He has also posted five straight multi-hit games, the longest streak in his career.

His own teammate James Paxton has been on the opposing mound and watched a ball leave the yard off the bat of Ohtani, now he is thankful to be in the same dugout.

“I mean, it’s pretty awesome to watch. If he puts the barrel on the ball, it’s coming off at 105-plus,” Paxton said. “It’s pretty amazing, just how hard he swings and just how hard he hits the ball. I’m glad to have him on my side.”

it's a cool honor to have the opposing team's broadcast post a video about how great of an athlete he is.