Shohei Ohtani Has Shined Brighter Than Any Star in Hollywood

By Anthony Solorzano

Anyone living in Los Angeles knows to avoid any midday Dodgers game during the dog days of summer. So why test it anyway? It was a cardinal sin to go to one on the hottest weekend of the season, but Shohei Ohtani made it worth it.

As I’ve grown older, the amount of games I attend each season has dwindled to less than three. Priorities land on other “adult” stuff like paying for streaming subscriptions and saving money toward the dream of buying a house.

But sacrificing a couple of bucks from my Roth IRA is worth it for Shohei Ohtani. He is a once-in-a-lifetime player.

Missing Ohtani in LA would be like being in Chicago during the Michael Jordan era and never attending a Bulls game.

Or skipping a Kobe Bryant game with the Lakers because he wins too much.

Sure, Ohtani has been in the league for six years now. He spent the first part of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. During his six years with the Angels, he won two MVP awards and carved his way into Major League history by excelling as a two-way player.

He pitches like an ace and bats like Barry Bonds.

Shohei Ohtani takes a swing during an April game against the Washington NationalsPhoto byWikimedia Commons

But Anaheim is different from Chavez Ravine, and you can feel it.

During that one o’clock game in the middle of the hottest week of the year, Japanese fans were seen everywhere. Dodgers Stadium has become an even bigger tourist attraction.

Sitting in front of my seat (not in the shade) was a Japanese family. As soon as they saw how the sun was in their seats, the women in the family left behind the matriarch of the family to be alone.

Throughout the whole game, the man held a self-painted drawing of the Dodgers and Ohtani up to try to get the camera’s attention. The only time he put it down was to film Ohtani’s at-bats with his phone.

He hit a home run that day.

Is this what Fernandiomania felt like in the 80s?

During his first year with the Dodgers, Ohtani did not disappoint. Sidelined from pitching because of offseason surgery, he focused on hitting.

A season of putting up video game numbers will surely earn him his third MVP award and his first in the National League.

Ohtani’s batting average was .310, and he hit 54 home runs, drove in 130 runs, and stole 59 bases. He became the inaugural member of the 50/50 club and the fastest player to reach the 40/40 club.

Oh, and he reached his first playoff series. During the Dodgers’ first game against the Padres in the National League Division Series, he hit a game-tying three-run home run.

He rounded the bases yelling in excitement. Leaving the batter's box, he threw the bat so far that it probably reached Anaheim.

Ohtani’s numbers in the second game were not up to his standards, going 0-for-4. The series is tied as the Dodgers head to San Diego to play two games.

Can Ohtani be the spark plug the Dodgers need to advance past NLDS for the first time since 2021?

Only Ohtani will tell.

Anthony Solorzano is a writer but pays his bills by being a high school substitute teacher. He gives life context using films on his blog, Pseudo Pop.