Dodgers News: Deion Sanders Compares Shohei Ohtani to Michael Jordan, Tom Brady

Maren Angus-Coombs | 2 Hours Ago

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani keeps doing things no one has ever seen in Major League Baseball, and he’s breaking franchise records almost daily.

Tuesday, Ohtani stayed hot, kicking off the series against the Padres with a ground-rule double to right. That marked his 14th hit in his last 19 at-bats and extended his on-base streak to 10 straight plate appearances.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, that double allowed Ohtani to surpass Babe Herman for the most extra-base hits in a single season in Dodgers history. With 53 home runs, 35 doubles, and seven triples, Ohtani has totaled 95 extra-base hits in 2024.

The newest franchise record came just days after founding baseball’s exclusive 50/50 club.

Ohtani’s unreal achievements have athletes around the world taking notice. Recently, LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes both shouted out the Dodgers' star on social media, according to The Big Lead.

Even Deion Sanders, head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes and a former two-sport pro, gave Ohtani his flowers during a press conference. 

Deion Sanders gave Shohei Ohtani some very high praise recently, comparing him to the likes of Michael Jordan and Tom Brady!

Deion knows exactly what it takes to be an athlete that goes above and beyond normal expectations 🔥

H/T @CFBONFOX
pic.twitter.com/knlhuMbSiR

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) September 24, 2024

"Ohtani, he's incredible, man," Sanders said. "I mean you can compare him to the Jordans and the Tom Bradys of the world. That's who he is. He's doing things that we haven't fathomed.”

Sanders knows a thing or two about excelling in baseball. 

Sanders played parts of nine MLB seasons with four teams, including the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants, while also dominating on the football field. 

Sanders batted .263 for his career, with a .711 OPS, and although he only hit 39 home runs, he stole 186 bases in 641 games. His best year came in 1997 with the Reds, where he batted .273 and racked up a career-high 56 stolen bases.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in Tuesday’s game, a bit quieter than usual. The Dodgers fell 4-2 to San Diego, capped by a historic triple play that shrunk their NL West lead to just two games.

Still, Ohtani’s hitting .301 with a 1.024 OPS and 8.5 WAR on the season.

The Dodgers wrap up the regular season in Denver against the last-place Rockies, giving them a shot to recover ground from the Padres — and Ohtani a chance to take advantage of the thin mountain air.

With only five games remaining in the regular season, will Ohtani reach 60/60?

Maybe not if Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gets his way.

Should the Dodgers win two of three against San Diego and clinch the NL West title, Roberts might insist Ohtani shut down the base stealing to lessen the chance of injury ahead of the postseason.