The Los Angeles Dodgers are extremely fortunate to have a talent like Shohei Ohtani on the diamond, but what he brings to the clubhouse proves to be just as valuable every day.
During the team’s trip to Tokyo, Japan, Ohtani spearheaded a team dinner ahead of Opening Day in the country he was born in.
Manager Dave Roberts spoke on what this gesture meant to the team and the impact it had on the players.
“Every guy that I talked to said it was the best experience they ever had,” Roberts said. “In baseball player terms, we call it ‘show dinners’ (when one player makes all the arrangements) and they said it was the best show dinner they ever had.”
Ohtani had help with the dinner from fellow countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Yamamoto will be the Opening Day starter while Sasaki won’t just start the second game of the Tokyo Series, but will be making his MLB debut.
Roberts — born in Naha, Japan — spoke more on how Ohtani has grown into a leader from last year to this year.
“I just think that it’s their sense of nationalism and pride in their country that they wanted to put their best foot forward to welcome their teammates to Japanese cuisine and show hospitality,” Roberts said. “I think that’s what speaks more for me. But yeah, would he have done this last year if we were here in Tokyo? Probably not.”
The skipper isn’t the only one who recognizes the leap in leadership Ohtani has taken recently as veteran Miguel Rojas, among the most respected Dodgers in the clubhouse, also noted the new role that the three-time MVP is taking on.
“I can’t tell you how much more respect I’ve got for him,” Rojas said. “Not just for the 50/50 (season) and the MVPs and all of that but the way that he’s becoming a leader in this clubhouse, bringing people into this organization (by being a part of the recruiting pitch to Yamamoto and Sasaki), helping others even though he’s got his hands full with trying to come back to pitching, coming back from surgery.
“But he still takes time to hit with (Korean rookie Hyeseong) Kim in the cage. He’s taking time to go to the wings eating contest (during spring training). That’s leadership.”
The Dodgers are looking to become the first back-to-back champions in MLB in a quarter-century. With such an enormous display of leadership and team building before the regular season gets underway, this ball club appears to already be trending in the right direction.
