"Shohei Ohtani is watching anime, cracking jokes" - Dodgers teammate admires Japanese superstar's down-to-earth personality
Shohei Ohtani is all fun off the field and dead serious when facing pitchers at the plate. Coming from Japan, Ohtani's gestures like bowing down to opponents as a sign of respect are well documented. His teammate Alex Vesia has now revealed the designated hitter's lesser-known version.
The Los Angeles Dodgers made all the right moves to win their eighth World Series title. From signing the Japanese duo of Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to beating adversities (pitching injuries to multiple stars), the Dodgers helped the two-way star win his first Fall Classic title.
Vesia appeared on Chris Rose's podcast, "The Chris Rose Rotation", talking about the Dodgers season. Rose asked the lefty pitcher about "perfectionist" Shohei Ohtani.
"He’s great, you know, and it’s like, you would never know that he is who he is, right? If you’re just sitting there next to him—like, the guy’s watching anime, he’s cracking jokes, he loves to laugh. And he’s a great teammate. So that’s something I definitely got to learn from him this year," Vesia said (39:00 onwards).
"You know, I faced him a few times, and I never really knew him as a teammate. I had heard great things, but personally getting to know him and whatnot—that’s been awesome."
Dodgers teammates decode Shohei Ohtani's personality
In just a year, Shohei Ohtani has become a clubhouse favorite for the Dodgers teammates. Bearing a childlike smile, possessing a Mamba mentality and all fun, Ohtani's personality check was done by LA Times' Jack Harris, who interviewed his fellow teammates during the postseason.
“He’s almost like a little kid, trapped in a giant body,” Kiké Hernández said. “He doesn’t necessarily always show it. But I was surprised by how much personality he has.”
“[He can] be goofy and playful and look like he’s really having fun playing the game,” veteran utilityman Chris Taylor said. “But then also at the same time be super focused and locked in.”
“He’s pretty serious,” catcher Austin Barnes added. “But he can joke and mess around, too. He makes me laugh.”
“He does a great job of having a childlike joy toward the game,” added reliever Blake Treinen, “but playing it like a grown man.”
Shohei Ohtani is favored to emerge victorious for his first NL MVP while facing competition from the New York Mets' Francisco Lindor and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte.