Shohei Ohtani Gave Gift to Clayton McCullough Before He Left Dodgers for Marlins
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is a generous man. A few examples of Ohtani’s generosity include when he bought reliever Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley, a Porsche for giving up No. 17, and when he paid for starting pitcher Jack Flaherty’s birthday dinner with the team.
The Dodgers lost their first base coach Clayton McCullough to a promotion as the Miami Marlins new manager in November, but before he left, Ohtani gave him a thoughtful gift.
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“There was a really cool picture that someone had drawn of him and I, doing that head bump at first base,” McCullough told Foul Territory on Tuesday. “This was after the regular season, and I asked him, would he mind signing that for me. He was gracious enough to do that. That’s something that I’ll keep. It’s a cool picture.”
McCullough, 44, spent the last four seasons in Los Angeles as the Dodgers’ first base coach. He was especially vital in helping Ohtani become the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.
Beyond McCullough’s duties as first base coach, he was also the Dodgers’ lead outfield coach and was responsible for much of the team’s base-stealing strategy. McCullough would personally go over scouting reports of opposing pitchers with Ohtani throughout the 2024 season.
It was McCullough who helped Ohtani steal a career-high 59 bases this season. The departure of McCullough is a loss for the Dodgers organization, but Ohtani won’t be stealing as many bases next season anyway as he makes his two-way debut in Los Angeles.
The 2024 campaign will always be one of the most memorable seasons in Dodgers history, but the recent signing of free agent pitcher Blake Snell indicates the organization is hoping to build baseball’s next dynasty.
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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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