Japan teammate and Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar bows down to Shohei Ohtani's generational brilliance
Is Ohtani the best two-position player you've ever seen? He probably is, and it is scary to even speculate right now considering his age and the amount of time he has left in the game.
Having mastered both arts in such little time, Ohtani has made his name synonymous with hard work, grit, and determination. He has truly exemplified the meaning of the whole package!
His ninth innings clutch strike-out of Angels teammate and friend Mike Trout cemented his name forever in the history books and will go down as one of the most decisive plays on the biggest stage. Ohtani also helped his country Japan to a third World Baseball Classic title.
SHOHEI OHTANI STRIKES OUT MIKE TROUT TO WIN THE #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC! https://t.co/F7vUtIiRR1
"SHOHEI OHTANI STRIKES OUT MIKE TROUT TO WIN THE #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC" - MLB, Twitter
Ohtani has often left his teammates and the opposition bewildered by his shockingly golden talent, and Japanese national teammate and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar was quick to pay homage to that talent in an interview after the game, lauding Ohtani as a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player.
"It almost seems like I'm shortchanging him, saying he’s once in a generation. It's lifetime," Japan teammate and Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar said.
Mexican coach Benji Gil lauds Ohtani as the greatest player ever
Mexican coach and former Los Angeles Angels infield coach Benji Gil too heaped praise on the Japanese sensation too, after Ohtani architected a famous 6-5 comeback victory against the Mexicans in a hotly contested semi-final encounter. While he reserved a great deal of respect for Mike Trout, he simply said that Ohtani was 'different.'
"I think they've nicknamed him the unicorn and it's so true," said Team Mexico manager Benji Gil. "I have all the respect in the world for Mike Trout and for all the other great stars in the game of baseball, but he's unique. He's different."
@MLBONFOXShohei Ohtani embraced and spoke with Team Mexico manager Benji Gil during pregame batting practice 🇯🇵🇲🇽 @MLBONFOX https://t.co/suzPgrSm2Y
"Shohei Ohtani embraced and spoke with Team Mexico manager Benji Gil during pregame batting practice," Flippin' Bats Podcast, Twitter
Gil went on to laud Ohtani as the greatest baseball player in the world right now, and quite possibly the greatest athlete too!
"He's not just the best baseball player in the world, he may be the greatest player in the world," Gil said. "I mean, he might be the greatest athlete ever."
All that's left to be seen is to what heights Ohtani will end up reaching, and that only time will tell.