Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani makes All-Star appearance on Pat McAfee Show
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is headed to his fifth All-Star Game, and the reigning National League MVP stopped by the Pat McAfee Show on Monday to talk about it.
McAfee asked Ohtani who he grew up watching, and his answer should come as no surprise to anyone who started watching baseball in the early 2000s.
'To be honest I grew up watching Ichiro [Suzuki] play in the All-Star Game, so that's somebody who I wanted to meet,' he said.
Ohtani has talked about his admiration of Ichiro in the past.
'I have nothing but the utmost respect for him,' Ohtani said in 2018 before his Los Angeles Angels faced Ichiro's former team, the Seattle Mariners. 'What he has done for this game, our country and the fans. I wish we could have played against him, but it wasn't meant to be. Wish nothing but the best for him moving forward.'
Though the Dodgers phenom looked up to Ichiro, the two are far different players. The former Mariner was a hitting machine, batting .311 for his career and leading the league in base hits seven times. Ohtani, meanwhile, is one of the best power hitters in the game, and in only eight years has more than twice the number of career home runs that Ichiro finished with.
Of course, Ohtani is also a pitcher with a career 2.97 ERA as he continues to build back up after not pitching since 2023.
When Ohtani had a chance to meet his idol in 2023, social media was abuzz as video surfaced of an excited Ohtani running across the field to greet him. It was watching Major League Baseball during Ichiro's prime that first made him want to play in the United States.
'I initially grew up watching professional baseball in Japan because I wanted to be an NPB player first,' Ohtani told McAfee. 'But then as I started watching more Major League Baseball, my dream grew and I really wanted to play in the big leagues.'
Related: Shohei Ohtani reveals two-way 'longevity' goal after Dodgers pitching return
Related: Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw earns Hall of Fame endorsement from Manny Machado
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