In Photos: Shohei Ohtani receives touching birthday gift from Dodgers teammate Kike Hernandez
Dodgers ace Shohei Ohtani turned 30 years old on Friday and he received a touching birthday gift from his teammate Kike Hernandez. While Ohtani went hitless on his birthday against the Milwaukee Brewers, but catcher Will Smith exploded onto the scene as he crushed three home runs in the game to help the Dodgers get the 8-5 win.
'Shotime' shared an image of the heartfelt present that he received from Kike Hernandez on his Instagram account. The present was a baseball in a glass case with a birthday message written in Japanese on one side, while the other side read:
"Happy Bday Sho! Feliz Cumpleanos Jorge!"
The two-way ace signed a ten-year, $700 million contract with the LA Dodgers in December, which ended his rollercoaster stay in free agency. Kike Hernandez on the other hand, played last season with LAD and then became a free agent. Initially, he found it difficult to find a new ballclub but right before the start of spring training, he signed a one-year deal with LAD yet again for $4 million.
Kike Hernandez has been mostly used as a utility player this season due to his versatility in defense. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani has played as a designated hitter since his injury in December 2023 sidelined him from pitching for the entirety of the current campaign. But Shotime's at-bats and plate discipline have been simply exemplary, as he is currently in red-hot form with the bat.
Dodgers two-way ace Shohei Ohtani's offensive might is on full display this season
Shohei Ohtani is paying the Dodgers back after the massive investment they made in him this past offseason. He is showcasing stellar talent at the plate for the Dodgers this season. Ohtani crushed a solo home run in Saturday's game against the Brewers to help the ballclub to a 5-3 victory.
Ohtani has a batting average of .316 with 28 home runs, 65 RBIs, and a 1.045 OPS. He is tied with Jurrickson Profar for the NL lead in batting average but is way ahead in home runs. Only the Yankees' Aaron Judge (32) has more home runs than Ohtani in MLB this season.