Dodgers in World Series: Is Shohei Ohtani the GOAT?

Based on last Thursday night’s playoff performance by the LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, not counting his baseball stats up to now, one has to ask the question — will he go down as Major League Baseball’s GOAT (greatest of all time)?

If he was just a hitter, that would be one thing, but add Ohtani’s pitching talents to the mix, and the comparison some are making between him and Babe Ruth isn’t too big a stretch. At the age of 31, the $700 million/10-year deal he struck with the Dodgers after the 2023 season actually makes sense, given his performance.

How often do sports franchises make big-money deals with players that leave you scratching your head – Dak Prescott, et al. Not Ohtani. The $700 mill actually makes sense. The guy delivers.

Unable to pitch in 2024 while recovering from a second elbow injury, Ohtani played as a Designated Hitter for the Dodgers. It was, however, still a remarkable season. The kid from Japan became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season and was unanimously named the 2024 National League MVP, capping off last year’s season with a World Series win.

For a team that started out in Brooklyn, the Dodgers now have eight Series wins.

If they can beat the Blue Jays, it will be the first time a team has won back-to-back championships since the Yanks did it in 2000.

My money is on LA, thanks in large part to knowing that Shohei Ohtani is not only going to be on the mound but at the plate. He’s just too good.

Not only that, but the guy is beyond nice.

Earlier this year, can’t remember what team the Dodgers were facing, but there was bad blood on the field. Each team was hitting the batter.

When a fast ball hit Ohtani, after he made it to first base, he waved off the Dodger players who wanted to charge the field. And then he walked over to the other team’s dugout and started talking to the opposing players, trying to build some much-needed goodwill on the field, where fights are much more the norm these days.

No one does that. Too many players these days would rather lock horns and head butt each other.

Last Thursday’s sweep of the Brewers, poor Milwaukee, included seeing Ohtani pitch six scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, and then hit three killer, massive home runs, one of which is now being counted as the longest home run hit in Dodgers Stadium.

Fans took to social media to declare him better than the Babe, which can’t be done, given the difference between how the game was played in Ruth’s day vs. the modern era.

One social media post read: “There’s no reason to have discussions anymore about who is the GOAT. No one has ever played the game of baseball like Shohei Ohtani.”

In the Thursday game against the Brewers, he became the only pitcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run.

That was after he struck out three Milwaukee batters in the first inning.

The LA Dodgers are the first team to win back-to-back pennants since Philadelphia did it back in 2009. Thanks in large part to Shohei Ohtani, who just may end up being the GOAT. At least in the minds of some.

What a baseball talent. What a time to enjoy major league baseball, which offers us all a much-needed escape from the real world.