Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Compared to Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods

Maren Angus-Coombs

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Shohei Ohtani was busy on Tuesday. Three hours before the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks squared off, he was signing memorabilia that will be showcased in the Baseball Hall of Fame’s new exhibit that recognizes Japanese baseball in America.

It was also Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium.

In Ohtani's storybook fashion, he turned it up a notch sparking a late-inning comeback with a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. His home run gave the Dodgers a one-run lead. They eventually went on to win 6-5.

"It’s one of those things, Shohei is very storybook,” Roberts said. “It seems like whenever there’s anticipation for something to happen, it happens. And guys like that are like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. Just look back at the [World Baseball Classic], him versus [Mike] Trout, that one where he was pitching. And then on Japanese Heritage [Night], obviously you’ve got so many people from Japan here. And then he comes up huge.”

The majestic home run was launched a Statcast-projected 433 feet and had an exit velocity of 112 mph. Ohtani stood and admired it for a few seconds before jogging around the bases.

"The slider up and in and he was able to do what he did with it, I don't understand how he was able to do that,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. “It’s just amazing to watch."

Published
Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

Home/News