The Phillies fans must be delighted! The team won 10-1 against their arch-rivals, the Dodgers, on Wednesday. The player who played a crucial role in the victory was Brandon Marsh. The young blood is slowly emerging as one of the talents to look out for on the pitch and some credit for Marsh’s success goes to Shohei Ohtani as well. Shotime was one of the guiding lights during the outfielder’s rookie days. The two-way phenom especially taught the 26-year-old how to improve his bat swing. The training surely yielded results, which were reflected in the 26-year-old’s performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he scored a homer and gave a warm welcome to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber back in the lineup. 

Fresh out of the gate in 2021, Brandon Marsh was a wide-eyed rookie who found himself a spot at the Los Angeles Angels with the best in the business, Shohei Ohtani, as his teammate. Shotime, on his way to winning his first MVP award, took the young Marsh under his wing and offered valuable tips that helped the young outfielder improve his offensive skills. However, aside from playing games together, their friendship bond was much beyond that. 

Brandon Marsh & Shohei Ohtani’s unwavering friendship

Back in 2021, the Japanese star did not know how to speak English and Marsh did not know how to speak Japanese. Despite the language barrier, both of them became friends quickly. At times, they would communicate through a translator. As time passed, Marsh learned Japanese, which he spoke in a few interviews. Also, on the field, the cameras would capture Marsh and Ohtani goofing on the field. Somedays, both were seen playing rock, paper, scissors, and on the other days, Brandon Marsh would make heart signs for Shohei Ohtani. 

Even more, there have been instances when the Japanese media caught Marsh and interviewed him regarding Ohtani. With time, their friendship became so popular that even the 26-year-old’s mother, Sonja, was interviewed by the reporters. She derives Shohei Ohtani and her son as “kindred spirits.” Further, while training with Marsh in 2021, Ohtani used to tell him to swing the bat hard. Basically, Ohtani explained to Marsh that his backside wasn’t driving to the fullest potential. Further, he taught Marsh to hit the ball harder and let his body do all the other work. 

Recently, Brandon had a few words with the reporters about Ohtani, saying, “Shohei was definitely a dude that I looked up to, not just for his ability, but for the guy he was to me, the bigger brother he was to me. Taking me in and trying to help me be the best person I can for the team. He’s a special, special player. A generational-type player.” Indeed, Shohei Ohtani is regarded as one of the best players in Baseball. Signing the highest MLB contract at $700 million for nine years shows his dominance in the MLB world. However, aside from Ohtani being Marsh’s mentor, the 26-year-old outfielder still struggles in a few departments. 

Despite learning from the Best, Brandon Marsh still has a lot to learn

Learning from Shohei Ohtani, Brandon Marsh improved his offensive capabilities. He was able to swing the ball hard, leaving a prime example in his game against the Dodgers. Also, by stats, he has played 243 games for the Phillies, smashing at.275/.355 and.443. In terms of the batting average, he averages .152 and has a staggering .400 OPS in the 2024 season. 

While Brandon has shown improvements against the left-arm pitchers, he hasn’t performed consistently against them. Having a strikeout rate against the lefties at 47.2% is definitely higher than his standards. Even more, he has constantly struggled starting against the left-arm pitchers. Whit Merrifield and Cristian Pache have performed better than him playing the lefties in the Phillies.

Hence, despite Brandon Marsh showing his prowess against the Dodgers, the Phillies might need to address the growing concern about his batting. Perhaps the team might look for another right-handed outfielder who could handle the left-handed pitching. Eventually, while Marsh has learned from Ohtani, there’s still a long way to go. Overcoming left-handers might be his biggest challenge as the Phillies yet again take on the resurgent Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.