logo
Shohei Ohtani Reacts to Big Surprise From Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani Reacts to Big Surprise From Los Angeles Dodgers

Yahoo2 days ago

Shohei Ohtani Reacts to Big Surprise From Los Angeles Dodgers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Shohei Ohtani is having another remarkable season, on and off the field.
The reigning National League MVP is helping lead the defending World Series champion Dodgers with a league-best 23 home runs and 64 runs scored. But that's not all Ohtani is celebrating.
Advertisement
On April 19, Ohtani and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter. Amid adjusting to fatherhood, Ohtani hasn't missed a beat. He continues to launch home runs and lead the league in key offensive categories.
On Wednesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called Ohtani into the clubhouse for what turned out to be a touching surprise. The team posted the interaction online, where Roberts told Ohtani about the gift.
"Doc and his wife bought Shohei's daughter a brand new car… kind of. 😂"
Roberts then revealed a pink toy Porsche, jokingly calling it Ohtani's daughter's 'first car.' Ohtani's reaction—initially confused, then delighted—was priceless. The two took photos with the gift and shared a laugh before Ohtani left the clubhouse.
Advertisement
Through 59 games this season, Ohtani is batting .288 with 23 home runs, 39 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He's been a catalyst for the Dodgers, who lead Major League Baseball in team batting average at .267 and total home runs with 100.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17).Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
After wrapping up their series with the Mets on Thursday, the Dodgers hit the road for a three-game set in St. Louis against the Cardinals. From there, they'll travel to San Diego before returning home.
As the season rolls on, Shohei Ohtani's impact continues to be felt both at the plate and in the clubhouse, with a new chapter of fatherhood only adding to his growing legacy.
Advertisement
Related: Shohei Ohtani Reacts to Dodgers' Max Muncy Announcement
Related: MLB Sends Clear Message After Yankees-Dodgers Series
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Throwback' Ryan Yarbrough has become a Yankees rotation savior with tweaked pitch
‘Throwback' Ryan Yarbrough has become a Yankees rotation savior with tweaked pitch

New York Post

time7 minutes ago

  • New York Post

‘Throwback' Ryan Yarbrough has become a Yankees rotation savior with tweaked pitch

Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free As an AL East veteran, Ryan Yarbrough has pitched against the Yankees enough for them to know how much trouble he can give lineups. But what the left-hander, often described by Aaron Boone as a 'throwback,' has now done for them in five starts since moving into the rotation may even be better than they could have hoped for. Advertisement Armed with an improved changeup — thanks in part to a former Yankees minor league pitching coach — multiple arm slots and a wide-ranging arsenal that ranges from 67.7-90.9 mph, Yarbrough has been a savior at the back end of the Yankees rotation and will try to keep it going on Saturday against the Red Sox. 4 Ryan Yarbrough throws a pitch during the Yankees' game against the Rangers on May 21. Robert Sabo for the NY Post 'It's a lot of fun [catching him],' Austin Wells said Friday. 'I feel like you get to appreciate the art of being able to call a game. The way he's able to throw pitches in the entire zone and fill it up and still get the swing and miss and chase that guys that throw 100 do, I think it's arguably at times more fun to do something like that with a guy like that.' Yarbrough entered Saturday with a 2.08 ERA in five starts with 24 strikeouts in 26 innings since he entered the rotation. Advertisement To get there, the process began in spring training with the Blue Jays. 4 Ryan Yarbrough reacts during the Yankees' game against the Rangers on May 21. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post Their bullpen coach, Graham Johnson, previously served as the pitching coach at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, so he speaks the same language and has a similar approach as the Yankees' pitching group. Advertisement Johnson began working with Yarbrough on tweaking his changeup, and he got promising results with it before Yarbrough triggered the opt out of his minor league deal and then signed a $2 million contract with the Yankees three days before Opening Day. At the time, Yarbrough offered bullpen depth but with the potential to swing into the rotation if needed, and it did not take long for that to be the case. 4 Ryan Yarbrough pumps his fist during the Yankees' game against the Angels on May 26. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 'We obviously know Graham really well and know where he was coming from on the changes,' pitching coach Matt Blake said Friday. 'It at least showed that Yarbs is interested in making adjustments to his arsenal and opened up the conversation, 'What was the adjustment? What were you doing before? Here's some other thoughts around it.' ' Advertisement Yarbrough joined the Yankees in Miami for their exhibition against the Marlins and sat down with the pitching group to dive into what he had been working on. They let the first week or so of the season play out with his old changeup before they made a subtle adjustment — using the same grip, but lining the laces up slightly differently to induce more drop. The result? CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS Yarbrough has thrown 137 changeups (20.6 percent of his pitches) and opposing batters are hitting just .167 with a .367 slugging percentage against it. It has accounted for 11 strikeouts and a 46.6 percent whiff rate compared to 22.7 percent last season. The average exit velocity against it is 79.4 mph, the weak contact part of why he ranks in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity against (84.1). Advertisement Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters 'I think it's just getting a little more depth to it, a little bit more bite,' Yarbrough said of the pitch that has averaged 4.1 more inches of vertical drop from last year. 'But I also think now we're setting it up and using other things to help it continue to get better.' The 'other things' include his four-seam fastball that averages 88.3 mph, a sinker that averages 87.2 mph, a cutter that averages 83.3 mph and a sweeper that averages 71.8 mph. 4 Ryan Yarbrough prepares to throw a pitch during the Yankees' game against the Angels on May 26. Imagn Images Advertisement Only the changeup and cutter come from the same arm angle (11 degrees), with the other three pitches ranging from nine degrees to 21, according to Baseball Savant — all much more side-armed than league average. 'He's got the different angle,' DJ LeMahieu said. 'He's not going to light up the radar gun, but all his pitches feel like they get on you. His fastballs look like they get on you and his offspeed looks extra slow. Just one of those guys that has good stuff and knows what he's doing out there.'

Opinions can vary on Garrett Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself, and the Jets know this.
Opinions can vary on Garrett Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself, and the Jets know this.

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Opinions can vary on Garrett Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself, and the Jets know this.

Opinions can vary on Garrett Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself, and the Jets know this. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. We know that the New York Jets' contract extension talks with receiver Garrett Wilson are underway, with suggestions that this might be a slow roll on the way toward training camp. Advertisement And we also know that corner Sauce Gardner and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson are also due to join Wilson in wanting to get paid, meaning new general manager Darren Mougey figures to be a busy man. And what about Wilson's numbers? We have our educated guesses. And others have their uneducated ones. Example? The Jets receiver is the subject of shockingly bad contract prediction from quarterback-turned-analyst Kurt Benkert. "I think that Garrett Wilson could very easily get a four-year, $96 million contract," Benkert said. Wait. What? Let's do some math here. Wilson, whose fifth-year option will cost New York $16.8 million, is likely to view himself as a superstar - or, at least, a budding one. The going rate for such a player isn't a number that hovers above $20 mil; that's about $10 million shy. Advertisement Wilson, 24, despite shaky QB play, has become a 1,000-yard perennial. ESPN's Ben Solak has even predicted that in 2025 Wilson will lead the NFL in receiving yards. Opinions can vary on Wilson and what he "deserves.'' But "deserves'' isn't always how this works. The market sets itself. There are now nine NFL receivers who make over $29 million per year. The next wave of great receivers will be chasing a number like that. Not everybody in the media might see it. But we bet the Jets do. Related: Jets Issue 'Perfect Storm' All-Pro Comparison To Armand Membou This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.

Jets Urged To 'Tap Into' One Key Justin Fields Trait
Jets Urged To 'Tap Into' One Key Justin Fields Trait

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Jets Urged To 'Tap Into' One Key Justin Fields Trait

Jets Urged To 'Tap Into' One Key Justin Fields Trait originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Jets' offense under new offensive coordinator Engstrand will look vastly altered from last season. Advertisement New voices, a new scheme, and most importantly, a new quarterback make for a different-looking unit. Justin Fields has been handed the starting role and comes to the Big Apple looking to ignite and save his NFL career after four seasons of so-so production. One weapon Fields possesses is his ability as a runner, with rushing totals of 1,143 yards in 2022 and 657 in 2023. Last season, before he was benched for Russell Wilson, he had five rushing touchdowns and 289 yards in his six starts. For Pro Football Focus, Engstrand utilizing Fields' running ability has to be done regularly. "New York finally moved on from the failed Aaron Rodgers experiment and replaced him with Justin Fields on a two-year, $40 million contract," Pro Football Focus writes. Advertisement "Fields has never been a top-20 quarterback in PFF overall grade in any of his four seasons, but he's still only 26 years old and will be reuniting with Garrett Wilson, whom he threw passes to at Ohio State. With an underwhelming receiving corps outside of Wilson, the Jets would be wise to tap into Fields' rushing ability as much as possible." Quarterback Justin Fields warms up© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images With a solid group of backs behind him in Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, Fields won't have to shoulder all the rushing duties, and Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, and rookie Mason Taylor are options in the passing game. But for most, the Jets' offense should be a run-first unit, and Fields will/should play a big role in that. Advertisement We know how devastating he can be as a runner, and even NFL Network's Brian Baldinger stated how dangerous Fields looked running the football at OTAs. There are a lot of ways for Engstrand to go with how he should run his offense, and Fields, as a genuine runner, has to be one of them. Related: Jets Urged to Sign Pro Bowl Receiver Related: Jets Predicted To Trade For Cowboys' Micah Parsons This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store