Bob Costas: Ohtani’s Singular Greatness Rivals Babe Ruth | The Rich Eisen Show 

Im not even a baseball fan, I dont even live in California, but Shohei has got me into watching his games and enjoying the sport of baseball. Hes doing so much for the sport, and bringing in an audience that without him wouldnt even be watching baseball.

Shohei is a true unicorn. It’s insane what he does

I live in Sydney and not even a baseball fan but I'm planning a trip just to see Shohei.

Once I hit my twenties, I paid little attention to baseball... for decades, I shrugged at baseball as I focused elsewhere. Partway through 2021, I heard something I could neither believe nor ignore... "Wait wait wait.... a pitcher is leading the league in homeruns? WHAT?" Since then, I'm a born again baseball fan. I credit that renewed interest to Ohtani alone.... I don't think my story is unique....n

Die hard yankee fan here.. shohei is my favorite baseball player ever

He’s a video game character but in real life. It’s not possible what he is doing. MVP 💥

and what's ridiculous is that the Angels have been getting him for the past 6 years for less than $40M

Yes, name him a hall famer, as he already deserves. Do not forget what effects he has brought out, not only in the baseball sports, but also the baseball fan base that is growing year by year, the economic impacts where he goes, LA or Japan, especially after WBC. He has to be recognized as such.

4:00: To Bob Costa’s point, I’m going to my first Angeles game ever, and I live in Orange County. I gotta go see the Angles and Ohtani live. It’s a spectacle

It is absolutely ridiculous that his salary is far below a lot of his MVP contenders. The Angels should hand him a 600,000,000.00 contract immediately! He is by far the biggest attraction for the Angels!

If people follow the pitch and the swing and understand how much goes into each, they get a real understanding and enjoyment of how incredible these moments are. It's magic and to be cherished forever.

How about a crazy idea. Given Ohtani’s historical uniqueness, perhaps his next contract can be a unique one that is co-signed by MLB. That is, MLB pays part of his contract given his contribution to the overall baseball revenue.

Watching history is so much fun!!!!!

He is 1/1. No comparison.

What signifies Shohei Ohtani is that we are talking about history of the game and players of the pastime. I learned so much about the history of the game through Shohei.

Shohei Ohtani is better then Babe Ruth and it's not even a debate. Have to realize Babe played against coal miners and plumbers, baseball was like a part time job for them to make extra money because they were'nt getting paid enough, and was'nt playing against the best players worldwide or even in this country. Now it's a full time job, athletes train just for baseball, players are bigger stronger faster, they train 362 days a year, and play against Worldwide Talent, even Casey Stengal said in 1962 the players are better then when he was playing against Ruth in his era, Shohie is even better as a pitcher, Babe never threw 100 mph or even 90 (his average pitch was high 75 mph ) If a time machine brought Babe to play today he'll be a good player (hit 20 HRs and maybe win 4 or 5 games most) but if Shohei goes to play in Babe's era no doupt he'll dominate (hit 70 to 80 HRs and Win 30 to 40 games) and even alot of Baseball historians said the same thing also, comparing todays game to a hundred years ago when the game was still early and not advanced to it is now.

What he’s doing defies logic

We are watching history. We might be watching a legend in his prime, its fun and so awesome for Baseball 🎉✨️✨️✨️

Ruth 1918 season: 13-7 with a 2.22 era also won his first homerun title and hit .300 and led the league in slugging and ops.

ohtani is well beyond babe Ruth …ohtani is the new standard of greatness for all future MLB prospects

Check Babe Ruth's pitching and batting stats in 1918 and 1919. Tremendous!

Love how Ohtani is bringing in new baseball fans. He's like Jeremy Lin but with sustained success. Can't get enough of him.

I'm a lifelong Dodger fan but I try to catch as many Angel games as I can just because of him. He's definitely one of one.

He's just AWESOME! I watch him EVERY SINGLE DAY that's how BIG IMPACT he does to people. My MVP everyday! SHOHEI OHTANI the UNICORN. He's an INSPIRATION to young kids. I'm HAPPY I get to see him play everyday.

SHOHEI OHTANI#17 HAVING 1 OF THE GREAT SEASONS IN MLB ⚾ HISTORY ..

Wow! Costas just said it all!

No doubt he could be a an excellent position player too, very quick

The words na,o,e are popular in Japan now.This phrase describes Shohei Ohtani hitting a home run but the Angels losing badly.

Ohtani is having a historic year, but I'm reading the comments dismissing Babe Ruth and let's never forget that Babe Ruth hit more home runs in some seasons than WHOLE TEAMS.

Thank you, Bob. I've seen so many words used as modifiers of "unique" with the intention of intensifying the adjective. I just want to ask everyone who uses such: "You mean, more unique than one of a kind? So, like... half of a kind?"

Honestly if Otani was white American imagine what MLB and Media reaction? That's the facts

It’s obvious. But racists will continue to say Ruth is better because they can just use absurd comparisons to skew reality.

Shohei is the single greatest baseball player of all time. No player, not Ruth, Williams, Young, Wagner, Wadell can hold a candle to this dude when you compare how athletic they were compared to this baseball god. Sure Ruth could pitch, but it was against 1/4th the players most of whom had to have a second job because people didn't make tons of money playing baseball and he never pitched and hit in the same game, none of those players trained nearly has long as today's athletes.

I came back to baseball to watch Ohtani. Just him.

He is already the greatest player to ever play. Top 20 pitcher in the league and the best hitter in the world.

FINALLY. A REAL STATEMENT

Babe Ruth also played during baseball infancy. His opponents were AA level players. Ruth swung a 40 ounce bat. Nobody in today's era of could manage that with the level of skill in today's game.

Bob Costas...THE G.O..A.T😮

But I’ve seen him play RF

As usual Costas is the sage

I would give 1.2billion over 12 years. Shohei will the first billion Dollar Babe! 12 Years of Shohei is gonna be worth Billions to the club And make that Club as Famous as the Yankees. Babe Ruth did it for the Yankees. Shonei can do it for The Angels if they have the Vision.

ShoTime did it again!!! 29!!!!

Just hit another HR!

Shohei is doing something Babe Ruth never came close to.

Would love to see him in October one od these years.....

A year or two ago I would've laughed at this and said no way, he's great but he's got a ways to go. It's getting really hard to dismiss his greatness now.

He is leaps and bounds better than Babe Ruth ever was. Ohtani is playing with athletes, the Babe was playing with a bunch of part time baseball players.. Some plumbers... some roofers...

Shohei may end up having 50 HRs and 200Ks in the same season. That will never be broken by anyone else.

And naoya Inoue ruling the boxing world, fun time to be alive

🎉

please explain how two way player (who pitches 6 day rotation only not 5 day rotation and lock DH position) helps the club to win, when it is hard to maintain bullpen healthy with 6 day rotation and difficult to improve team batting average and develop youngsters without utilizing DH position. So far Nevin of angels is very frustrated with him.

I live in China, and I am planning my trips to see him pitch/bat.

Ohtani is so good, he can hit a ball 158ft and still be a homer.

I want my first game to be a angel game just because of him.

Ruth did do it simultaneously in 1919.

Unless someone else can do what he does at this level...there are NO comparisons. And he can RUN like a stallion with wings.

Hey Costas, thanks for not mentioning The Yankee Clipper, who was both a better fielder and Better hitter than The say hey kid.

Love my rookie cards of him $$$$$$$

Isn't the best player the most valuable?

Imagine Shohei playing in Ruth's era... Probably smoke 120HRs and strike out 500. Not joking...

Best ever. Hope he plays in New York 😂

Tom Grossi is the Shohei Ohtani of RU-vid. So Brandon Perna is like Jim Edmonds.

The comparison is tough because pitchers pitched complete games back in Ruth's era and even until recently. He was too great a hitter to allow him to pitch. Ruth had a 2.28 lifetime ERA and would have been 2.10 if they didn't have Ruth pitch a game here and a game there in his last five years.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there Costas.

“Unique” doesn’t properly carry the significance of what Ohtani is achieving now.

Babe Ruth only had to worry about fast ball and curve ball that only went 85 rarely…… playing vs avg people. Just saying.

Ok, Yankees fans you guys can stop the debate about judges better than Ohtani. Go home and sleep😂

Like I said, Ohtani is an INTERNATIONAL MLB ASSET😮 Fact 💯👀👍

Shorts have not covered. MOASS is real!

ボブは大谷が歴代最高の選手だと言ってくれてる　　自称歴代最高のパパは、あまり大谷を称賛したくなさそうなんだが……

Ruth won 7x world series and people still talk about him to this day

Today pitching are lit more hard to hit and speed if baby Ruth play today he not like Ohtani or close to Shohei period

Ohtani is goatani.

The MVP SHOULD be the best player

Yes, and if you notice, Japanese players seem to have a much better attitude, be more polite and have more self control than American players. Look at types of Darvish, Matsui, Ichiro and Ohatani, they don't/didn't break bats and curse around in their profession etc.

Also, today guys are much faster, stronger, etc. so Shohei is GOAT.. 90 era are mostly steroid addicts hitter

As Costas says, there is no comp for Ohtani and Ohtani is the very definition of unique in MLB. Forget the silly comparison with Ruth, it's completely ridiculous. Costas mentions Pedro Martinez as a pitcher who might be better than Ohtani as a pitcher. I've seen Martinez raving about Ohtani; he can't fathom what Ohtani is doing.

Unicorn G O A T

Rich, a missed opportunity. There is only one Sports Personality which could make this comparison, and due to Ohtani's greatness, there is only one person to whom he compares: Pootie Tang.

While people get mad when you glorify ohtani

Rivals? Dwarfs is more like it.

he needs to get off the Angels, saying this as an Angels fans.

well that settles it then. There should always be an MVP award and best player in the league award.

I agree. But please don't jinx him..

Beyond Babe ruth. Ruth played only in the caucasian minor leagues. If shohei lived then he wouldn't even be allowed to play.

Nah, Ohtani is better and surpasses Ruth.

We’re just casually talking about a $600,000, or more!, possible contract like it’s chump change. Huh? And we’re still discussing his possible greatness? Well? Which is it? Is he good? Or what?

Babe Ruth is the father Ohtani is the son.

Ohtani should have been MVP last year. I want to see Judge strike out 10 hitters in a game. Or even throw one strike for that matter.

Never ever compare Shohei with Ruth or someone from the past. Don't even go there.

What Ohtani is doing is like Tom Brady being Dion Sanders at the same time… Hum… Did I go too far??

No it doesn’t it far surpasses it lol

It is not rival, it is surpass Baby Ruth.

Keep in mind that Ruth played when the leagues were segregated so there's potential that he didn't even play against the best.

The best comp for Ohtani is Tiger Woods.

Ohtani was 7 and 3 last year with a .273 average...welcome to 2023 when anything is possible if you say it enough...

Acuna23 > judge22

Ohtani can’t even be compared to babe Ruth he is miles above in greatness. Babe played against scrubs period

Wait till he gets good

It rivals willie mays !