"Shohei Ohtani wants to make sure he says the right thing" - Jack Flaherty on why Dodgers teammate needs translator despite speaking English well
LA Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty on Tuesday discussed his teammate Shohei Ohtani's English speaking skills. Having been born and raised in Japan, Ohtani initially wasn't fluent in English when he joined the major leagues in 2018.
Since then, Ohtani has worked to improve his English and now speaks it well. Despite his progress, Ohtani still prefers to rely on his interpreter, Will Ireton, when speaking with the media. On Tuesday's edition of "The Check Ball Show," Jack Flaherty talked about why that is the case.
"It's easier to have the translator there, because there's a lot of questions coming at him (Shohei Ohtani) and whatnot. I'm sure he understands it, but it's more like, 'I wanna make sure I say the right thing, so I'd rather do it in Japanese.'" Flaherty said [33:32].
"But to us (teammates), I came over and we were able to have conversations, and he speaks a pretty good amount of English, which goes to the work he does in his time since he's been here." he added.
Shohei Ohtani wins third career Silver Slugger award, remains favorite for NL MVP
On Tuesday, it was officially announced that Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani had earned a Silver Slugger award for his performance in the 2024 season. This marks the third time Ohtani has won the award in his career, and the first time he's done it while playing in the NL.
Alongside Ohtani, teammates Mookie Betts and Teoscard Hernandez also took home Silver Slugger awards.
The LA Dodgers took to X to announce the Japanese star's achievement.
Having broken numerous individual records in the regular season and helping his team win the NL West, the NL and ultimately the World Series, Ohtani's Silver Slugger is expected to be just one of many BBWAA awards he will receive.
On Monday, Ohtani was also revealed as a finalist for the most prestigious of these honors: the NL MVP award.
He will compete against New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte for the award.