Angels pitcher and slugger Shohei Ohtani has received heaps of praise and accolades for all kinds of things. But Astros manager Dusty Baker has added an entirely new and somewhat bizarre attribute to the list of things to credit the Japanese phenom for: His liver.
Baker’s Astros clashed with Ohtani and the Angels in a post-All-Star break weekend series. On Friday night, after Ohtani struggled against the Stros due to an issue with a blister, Baker credited the Angels star for his work ethic.
“The greatest strength he has is as a ballplayer, he doesn’t have any weaknesses,” Baker told the Associated Press. “I don’t know another guy like him. He must be in tremendous, tremendous shape to pitch and hit every day.”
Baker continued, “I’m trying to figure out, when does he train, and when does he run to get his endurance? I’m sure he does. He must be an extremely dedicated guy.”
Dusty Baker Jr. #12 of the Houston Astros reacts before the start of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park on June 01, 2023, in Houston, Texas. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Then things got a little strange.
“He has to be probably one of the cleanest livers around because he’s working every day on something. I admire him.”
I mean, Baker is probably right. Ohtani is 6’4 and 210 pounds and appears t be one of the most well-rounded athletes in recent baseball history. He also didn’t grow up eating the fatty, sugar and salt-infused ultra-processed food that Americans are served on a daily basis. So, his liver is probably very healthy.
Whatever Ohtani is doing, he needs to keep it up.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels a two-run home run to score Andrew Velazquez #4 against pitcher Michael Grove #78 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on July 8, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Last season, the Japanese-born star became the first MLB player to ever qualify for the batting and ERA titles. And, of course, in 2021, he won the AL MVP award. Still, his team hasn’t done a lot to help him out. The Angels have missed the playoffs for eight consecutive years and appear to be on their way to making it a ninth. Something that seems almost impossible,e considering they’ve had not just Ohtani but the incredibly talented Mike Trout as well.
In any event, if the Angels do decide to make a trade to jump-start some rebuilding process, it sounds like Dusty Baker and his Astros would gladly make a deal for the “Japanese Babe Ruth” and his liver. Of course, the Angels wouldn’t do that since the Astros are in the same division. Then again, this is a team that is on track to yet again miss the playoffs despite having the best player in the game.
So, who knows? Maybe they would.