Shohei Ohtani News: Deion Sanders Latest Sports Star to Heap Praise on Dodgers’ DH
Shohei Ohtani continues to do things that have never been done in Major League Baseball.
He also is setting new franchise records daily.
On Tuesday, Ohtani remained on fire, starting the series against the San Diego Padres with a ground-rule double to right field. It was his 14th hit in his last 19 at-bats, pushing his on-base streak to 10 consecutive plate appearances.
The double was also his 95th extra-base hit of the season, setting a new franchise record just a few days after he founded baseball’s 50/50 club.
Ohtani’s achievements have caught the attention of athletes around the globe and recently, according to The Big Lead, basketball star LeBron James and football’s Patrick Mahomes posted on social media about the Dodgers’ designated hitter.
Colorado Buffaloes head football coach and former multi-sport professional athlete Deion Sanders took time out of his press conference to address Ohtani.
“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 something about what it takes to be a great baseball player. He played in parts of nine MLB seasons for four teams when he wasn’t on the gridiron. For his career, he batted .263 with a .711 OPS as an outfielder with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants.
Although Sanders hit just 39 home runs in 2,123 at-bats, he showcased impressive speed on the bases, swiping 186 bags over 641 MLB games. His standout year came in 1997 with the Reds, when he hit .273 and set a career-high with 56 stolen bases.
Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in Tuesday’s game, a quieter performance by his recent standards. The Dodgers lost 4-2 to the San Diego Padres, ending with a historic triple play, which trimmed their NL West lead to just two games.
Despite the loss, Ohtani is hitting .301 with a 1.024 OPS and 8.5 WAR for the season.
Los Angeles will finish the regular season against the last-place Colorado Rockies in Denver, offering a chance to regain any ground lost to San Diego this week. It will also allow Ohtani to go deep into the thin Rocky Mountain air.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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