"This is like Tom Brady leading the league in touchdown passes and interceptions in the same year, you don't think we would talk about that" - MLB analyst Tim Kurkjian deems Shohei Ohtani a greater talent than Tom Brady while in conversation with Buster Olney
Shohei Ohtani has been trending recently for more reasons than his baseball prowess. Some fans think the Los Angeles Angels superstar is overhyped, and that's just not sitting well with Ohtani fans. When Ohtani hit his hundredth career home run on Saturday night, former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya tweeted that she had heard "enough...Ohtani chatter." Although Tafoya later explained her intent behind the tweet, baseball fans reacted immediately.
@Angels broadcast… Enough with the @Ohtani baseball chatter!!!
@BallySportWest
"@Angels broadcast… Enough with the @Ohtani baseball chatter!!! @BallySportWest" - @Michele Taymor
ESPN MLB analyst Buster Olney was one of them. In his podcast, "Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney," he and MLB writer Tim Kurkijan discussed Ohtani's legendary performance this weekend. After saying that there should be more, not less, Ohtani coverage, Kurkijan made a bold statement.
Tim Kurkjian deems Shohei Ohtani a greater talent than Tom Brady
It's not often that you will hear a sports analyst say that any athlete is more dominant in his respective sport than Tom Brady is in American Football. He's called "The GOAT" for a reason. Over an NFL career spanning 318 games, Brady has accumulated a remarkable 64.2% completion rate and has thrown for a total of 84,520 yards. He averages 7.5 yards gained per passing attempt, which is nearly a guaranteed 10-yard first down on any given throw. He's also thrown 624 touchdowns.
For the 100th time, Shohei Ohtani has gone deep. https://t.co/dFTgf502op
"For the 100th time, Shohei Ohtani has gone deep." - @MLB
Despite those jaw-dropping statistics, Brady is still missing something in the eyes of Tim Kurkijan: he never played defense. It's not something you'd ever think to mention. In a sport where offensive players never play defense, why even expect it of him?
But that's exactly how Shohei Ohtani is raising the bar. Pitchers are defensive players in baseball. Considering the time they dedicate to pitching, they're not expected to be productive offensively. Most aren't, but then you get Ohtani. He's struck out 268 batters and hit 101 home runs in his career, and he's not even 28.
This is how Kurkijan summed up Ohtani's achievements:
"This is like Tom Brady leading the league in touchdown passes and [defensive] interceptions in the same year!" Kurkijan said. "You don't think we'd talk about that?"
Olney specified that Kurkijan meant defensive, not offensive, interceptions. Kurkijan said he meant to say Brady would be similar to Ohtani if he was a star quarterback and defensive back. Playing along, Olney poked fun at Tafoya:
"I think Michele [Tafoya] would interview that Tom Brady after every game, as everybody does because he's Tom Brady, and this is Shohei Ohtani, and that's the way this goes," said Olney.
That's the way things are going to be in the MLB for a long time. Ohtani is here to stay.