The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to take on the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo to open the MLB season. Star pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is expected to be at full strength this season after not pitching in 2024.
Ohtani has been compared to many icons, but was most recently compared to Michael Jordan by Dodgers teammate Anthony Banda.
“I’ve been told there’s Shohei everywhere you look,” Banda said via MLB.com. “Think about how Michael Jordan was [in the U.S.], and it’s the same.”
Ohtani’s popularity is at another level in Japan, something that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has done his best to prepare him for.
“We got a really good taste of it last year — whether it be at Dodger Stadium or on the road — how popular he was,” Roberts said. “This certainly takes it to another level because this is where he’s from. This is home.”
Roberts highlighted the humility displayed by Ohtani as well as other Japanese members of the Dodgers, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
“I think that with Shohei, with Yoshinobu, with Roki [Sasaki], Japanese players I’ve played with,” Roberts said, “there’s just humility and gratitude. Respect. That’s just who these men are. They just have a great way of balancing that while being fierce competitors.”
The Dodgers are understandably the most popular team in Japan, a privilege the team does not take lightly.
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts out for Tokyo series
Star Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts will not play in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs to open the MLB season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Betts might be heading home early to prepare for the season.
“That’s on the table,” Roberts said via The Athletic.
Roberts believes it would be most beneficial for the team to let Betts focus on his recovery and getting back into playing shape before the grind of the season fully begins.
“The thing is when you lose a lot of weight, when you’re dehydrated, that’s what opens a person up to soft-tissue injuries,” Roberts said. “We’re very mindful of that. So to take the next week … to build him back up, his strength, do some baseball activities to get ready for the home opener.”
It is still unknown how Betts picked up the illness, but it is believed to have happened before the Dodgers departed for Tokyo. The illness is suspected to be more serious than food poisoning.
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