"Shohei Ohtani is as chill as they come" - Jack Flaherty sings praises of Dodgers superstar for amiable locker room vibes with teammates
Jack Flaherty only spent a couple of months as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and as Shohei Ohtani's teammate. That was all it took for the slugger to make a good impression on the ace who helped deliver a World Series title to LA in Ohtani's first season there.
Flaherty said on the Rich Eisen Show:
"Shohei is like one of the guys. Shohei's one of the dudes. He just sits on the bus, he'll read his comic books. ... He shows up to the field, does his work. He's as chill as they come. Decoy's there for pretty much all the games. ... Shohei is absolutely just one of the guys."
Ohtani is a uniquely talented baseball player and a historically successful one at that. He may seem like a superhuman, but Flaherty has seen and knows that he's just like any of the rest of the Dodgers players.
However, Ohtani did do something a bit superhuman for the Dodgers in the World Series. He was clearly injured but played anyway. He struggled at the plate, recording one hit following the injury, but he toughed it out.
It was later revealed that he had a torn labrum which has now been surgically repaired. Ohtani played through that injury to try and help lead the Dodgers to the championship, which they secured in five games over the New York Yankees.
Shohei Ohtani recruits star doctor for surgery
Shohei Ohtani had a torn labrum and underwent successful surgery Tuesday. To ensure it would be successful, the Dodgers star recruited perhaps the most notable surgeon in the country: Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
He famously did work on Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Bryce Harper, and others. They have all been able to return from debilitating injuries to play well again. The Dodgers were adamant that Ohtani wasn't being impeded by his ailment during the series, but it did ultimately require surgery.
Ohtani is expected to be healthy for Opening Day in the spring. The player is expected to fully recover from his second Tommy John surgery by then as well, though the surgery rehab may impact his ability to pitch throughout the offseason and ramp up.