The MLB Tonight panel dove into Shohei Ohtani's impact on both sides of the ball, as he helped Team Japan win their third-ever World Baseball Classic title.
The Japanese coach said he couldn't sleep after winning the WBC 2023 championship but after getting off the plane he was still thinking about how they could improve for the next WBC. Those guys really live and breathe baseball. It's not only about winning all time but loving the game.
Top 5 pitcher and batter. Even Babe Ruth didn't do it this good for this long. IMO Shohei is the GOAT simply because there has never been anyone doing this before.
They are so enthusiastic and awe-struck because they know from experience what Ohtani is doing is beyond what anyone else has done or can do. Hey, Ohtani still has room to improve, which is amazing in itself. He knows that, and he has said in the past that he wants to show what he's capable of--that's something beyond what we've already seen. Hard to comprehend. But as an Ohtani fan, I can tell you my appreciation can't get much greater than it is.
I don't know much about baseball. But I know Ohtani. I almost never watch baseball. But I often watch Ohtani. I don't know the greatness of Baseball. But I know Ohtani's greatness somehow.
Shohei Ohtani is the living, breathing Baseball unicorn that no one ever even imagined could ever exist and yet we're actually living in that time watching him, in his prime. Sometime in the future the statement: "Ruth, Mays, Aaron, Young, Martínez, Clemens, Mantle, DiMaggio, Bonds, Griffey Jr, etc. were all pretty good too..." and THAT statement won't be insane but simply asserted with a head nod and a "Yep, they were."
The Sho was incredible. WBC won!! it brought more non-fans audience & viewers to start liking baseball. I, myself wasn't a fan of baseball until i saw the uniqueness of Ohtani playing two-way in a high level. I mean he is from another planet. An Historic player
As it should be. Playing for a club team that just pays you vs playing for your own country with fellow teammates who has the same blood is on a different level of pride and honor.
First Ichiro. Now Shohei. (As in creating a legend in this tournament) Shows how much love for the game Japan has. Showed class too in a sense that they tipped their hats to the US team. This is the sportsmanship the sport needs. (We do not need rude stuff like planting their flag on the mound anymore)
2 years after Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (among others) played their famous exhibition tour in Japan, a new professional league was born in that country. The seeds for Ohtani's emergence as a baseball phenom in MLB were planted all those years ago. One of the best things about this sport is how a full century+ of history is still alive through the players that inherit and carry on the game
I think that the WBC will grow so much in importance, that one day club owners can't deny a hight pay player to participate in the tournament if he is chosen to be part of a team. It will be more up to future tv contract with MLB organizers and I personally have the feeling that it will get to that point.
I don't understand why he didn't win the mvp 2022. Oh wait, they don't want him to win 2yrs in row. Another thing no one has ever done. This guy has fans all over and bringing ppl back to baseball. I haven't paid any attention to baseball until last yr becuz of him
Carlos Peña is one of the best at the network. His takes are always on point. I remember watching him hit bombs back in the day for my Tigers. He was my favorite during those lowly times lol Peavy has really come along too.
This WBC victory was a historic day in which the Japanese "YAKYU" Baseball won over the American-style “Baseball”. Japanese YAKYU was derived uniquely from American-style baseball and took more than 100 years to achieve. The fact is that on this same planet, there is another baseball that exists in a different spirit than the US style. Of course, the roots of baseball are USA, but baseball that was exported to other countries from US and took root there developed in a different way. This would be a fact. The reason “why Japanese baseball is strong in international tournaments" is not because they have strong members and excellent coaches. It is because they are “not players who grew up learning baseball in the United States". They were “educated in Japan's unique system of baseball education” when they were in high school. Americans don’t realize the importance of "the unique baseball education system" of Japanese baseball. Ohtani is undeniably a great athlete, but if he had been born and raised in the United States, with the same DNA would not have grown into the Ohtani of today. He was born and raised in Japan and received a Japanese baseball education from childhood, which is why he is the player "he is today". Not only the physical aspect, but also the way he thinks about baseball, his stoicism, and his gentle behavior are the result of his baseball education from his childhood to high school in Japan. and it is Japan's unique baseball education that produced "the monster" Otani. He is not a unicorn, but merely an honor student of Japanese high school baseball education.
Solo imagínate si OHTANI fuera estadounidense y se llamara Oswhor y todos los logros que tiene los consiguiera en USA para USA sería una verdadera locura y ejemplo para todo EEUU solo imagínenlo
I don't know if Google Translate's bugging out, but Oswhor as an English surname really reminds me of the Japanese baseball game where they had to invent American sounding names and it had names like Sleve McDichael and Bob Dugnutt in it.
Why is no one talking about how team USA manager did not bunt Mookie Betts with jo outs and a runner on first. We just needed to tie the game, did he think that any team could string 3 or 4 hits in a row against Ohtani? Manager could have forced a different outcome.
Ohtani decided to bunt by His Own Will and Thought! The Japanese WBC manager and coaches DIDN'T Ask Shohei to bunt at all and they were as surprised as the audience, TV viewers, and the opponent Italian team! Shohei, with extremely high baseball IQ, saw the infield shift and the wide open spaces at third base. That's why he chose to bunt because the successful rate of the bunt is far higher than regular hit. Shohei was safe at the first base and he also successfully sent the other runner to 3rd base. Besides, Shohei has an extreme high successful rate for bunting in MLB (check Shohei's RU-vid VTR clips)and he always practices bunting at batting practices even in every batting practice before every WBC game(2023).
peavy does the ohtani also. he does baseball analysis and then he goes on the road to review pizza joints. busy guy. one bite, everyone knows the rules!
There’s no one closest in soccer, Ohtani is beyond Messi and Ronaldo. There’s nobody on earth who rivals Ohtani and probably will never see anyone like this.
Soccer is not a sport where you can play multiple roles at the same time. But may be in a fantasy world, you could imagine someone like Shohei spending half a season as a CB at Ramos/ Varane/ VVD level protecting the back line, commanding defense and conceding few goals, then immediately in the next half, without rest, play as an elite striker scoring goals at the rate of Ronaldo/ Messi.
More closer to 50 mil/year and 500-600 mil contract. Only way it's going be less if he decides he wants to take less to help the team he signs with stays competitive.
Verlander has the best fastball. it's not the fastest, but it's the best. Ohtani has the best splitter - and if he used the riding two-seamer, he'd have even more. the change-up is a non-starter for Ohtani - he's too used to over-powering his opponents with velocity.... i do wish Ohtani would focus more on out-smarting his opponents.... you don't get to stay young and strong forever, unless yhou're Nolan Ryan.
Trout and Ohtani had a beautiful successful Double Steals after this season started and then Trout reached home with walk off at a wild pitching ( though Trout got broken finger at an AB and couldn't play now till almost end of the season).😢
@@slleung8979 he's missed 537 games over his career which is not good what so ever. You have to put him right there with degrom. When he's on the field it's lights out but you gotta be on the field to make it count first of all and he just can't stay on. Thats the top reason degrom isn't the best pitcher and the top reason trout is not the best player anymore
@@adammiller8597 Last season, Trout missed some of the season but he came back to finish with 40HR even he was not qualified as a hitter at bats. This season, before he got injured, Trout was the 2nd best batter on HR, runs, and OBP in Angels. Compared to Rendon(who always hurt himself in very strange occasions that didn't relate to team plays or defense), Trout is still Angels' top player other than Shohei in 2022 and 2023 (except 2021). Check Trout's stat, Angels and MLB seasonal ranking before you criticized Trout. By the way, I am Shohei's fan but not Trout's fan. Yet I did check on Shohei's teammates performances regularly and that's why I know Trout still did his work well. Even though Trout has all kinds of physical problems in last 3 seasons, Trout was still doing his best when he was healthy. Of course, he might pass his prime now but Trout was still the strongest supporter for Shohei when he was healthy.
@@slleung8979 100% agreed. I'm not hating on him im just saying facts. The dude is a beast when he's playing but every season you can expect him to get hurt at least once or twice a season and that just doesn't make you the greatest. I'm still in on Shohei tho lol
