Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has a playful message for Los Angeles Lakers fans about Shohei Ohtani, now that the MLB and NBA teams are to have the same majority owner.
“Hands off of Shohei,” he said, smiling. “They got enough superstars wearing the purple and gold. Leave him alone.”
Social media on Wednesday were rife with photographs of the Japanese two-way superstar’s face and body in a Lakers jersey after news broke that Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is buying a majority interest in the Lakers from the Buss family for US$10 billion.
Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images
Fox baseball analyst Ben Verlander posted on X: “We’re really about to have Shohei Ohtani out here dropping 50 on Christmas Day for the Lakers. What a time to be alive.”
Another person suggested that Ohtani could be a two-way player for the Lakers, while someone wondered whether the Lakers would start Ohtani at the 2 or 3 position.
Others thanked Ohtani for deferring most of his US$700 million, 10-year contract and, as one person posted, “putting all that money in Mark Walters’ pockets so he can buy and save the Lakers franchise.”
Photo: AFP
The Lakers already have a Japanese player in Rui Hachimura.
“I think Hachimura is taking care of the Japanese side of things,” Roberts said. “We’ll have Shohei on the baseball side.”
In December last year, Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, attended a Lakers game and were presented with personalized jerseys.
Tanaka played four seasons for the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
Roberts appeared to warm to the suggestion that he might be sitting in the celebrity-packed courtside seats at Lakers games this winter.
“I’m sure a lot of people have hit Mark up, but I might add myself to the list,” he said.
On the field on Wednesday, the Dodgers beat the Padres 4-3 at Dodger Stadium, with pinch hitter Will Smith belting a game-ending home run as the hosts extended their winning streak to five games.
Emmet Sheehan went four strong innings in his return from Tommy John surgery and Justin Wrobleski (2-2) followed with five innings as the Dodgers moved one win away from a four-game sweep.
Sheehan gave up one run on three hits in his first appearance since the 2023 playoffs.
Wrobleski (2-2) yielded two ninth-inning runs (one earned) before Smith won it on a home run to right field against Robert Suarez (1-3).
In other games, it was:
‧ Athletics 4, Astros 11
‧ Blue Jays 8, Diamondbacks 1
‧ Braves 5, Mets 0
‧ Giants 2, Guardians 4
‧ Mariners 1, Red Sox 3
‧ Marlins 2, Phillies 4
‧ Nationals 1, Rockies 3
‧ Rangers 3, Royals 6
‧ Rays 12, Orioles 8
‧ Reds 4, Twins 2 (6i)
‧ Yankees 2, Angels 3
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