Shohei Ohtani’s season in MLB has left everyone in awe. Not only did he reach the exclusive 40-40 club with ease and faster than anyone else in the club, he also opened the doors to the 50-50 club. And he didn’t stop there, he is now at a 54-59 record, a new high! What’s fascinating is that most baseball experts never anticipated the Japanese star to do better this season, given he was playing with an injury. But he not just made it to 50-50, but also broke uncountable records of baseball greats on his way there.

Many claim him as one of the greatest, a modern Babe Ruth, and possibly one of the best Los Angeles Dodgers players ever. That must hurt the rest of the men in blue, right? Not really; Magic Johnson, at the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show, revealed how Ohtani has just made everything better. Moreover, Mookie Betts, who has reached the coveted 30-30, has revealed his admiration for the Japanese star plenty of times and he did it once again.

Mookie Betts all praises for Shohei Ohtani

Mookie Betts is always in support of Shohei Ohtani. Just recently, at an episode of the “On Base with Mookie Betts” podcast, he compared Ohtani and Aaron Judge for a potential dunk contest. The winner? Well, according to Betts, it’s most definitely not Aaron Judge. But he was all ‘aye’ for the Japanese star saying, “He [Ohtani] does everything better than everybody, so I’m gonna assume he can dunk.” The support and belief Betts has in Ohtani are unparalleled.

Mookie Betts shared a similar take on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. The host asked him if watching Ohtani is a ‘humbling’ experience. After all‌, players in the team want to be the best, but Ohtani is a class apart and is having a season of his lifetime. “Yeah, definitely. You work your whole life to be the best, and no matter how hard you work, you’re just not going to be better than him,” said Betts. When Jimmy asked Betts if he was faster than Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts said, “No, not a chance. He would beat me and pretty much everybody.” Well, Betts isn’t wrong, the Dodgers star literally broke records of players like Babe Ruth, and has now created new benchmarks in the game—it would be hard to beat him!

At the Jimmy Kimmel Show, even Magic Johnson, who is part-owner of the club, was all in favor of Shohei Ohtani. According to him, Ohtani’s popularity and gameplay are off-the-charts, something incomparable to NBA icon Michael Jordon. Johnson noted that Ohtani is a global sensation and also compared him to pop king Michael Jackson. Seems like Ohtani has fans not just outside, but within his team itself; and while his season has been spectacular till now, Shohei missed creating one milestone.

Ohtani missed the triple crown!

Shohei Ohtani’s one goal remained undone—the Triple Crown. It was tough to begin with, a feat only some managed. It’s an award given to those players who lead in three categories: batting average, home runs, and RBIs. Now, Ohtani had it covered when it comes to RBIs and home runs with 130 RBIs and 54 home runs. It was just the batting average that was holding him back – he was behind the Colorado Rockies player Luis Arraez, who had a .314 average.

Sunday’s game was crucial for Ohtani, as it was the deciding game to level up his batting average. The Los Angeles Dodgers star went 1-for-4 against the Rockies, and his average, however, remained at .310. Arraez was looking forward to his third batting title, secured his 200th hit against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and secured a clear lead. Ohtani didn’t quite win the batting race, but his year is straight out of a baseball movie or series. An injured player coming in and breaking all records—it’s been brilliant to watch him on the mound!

Looking back on the season, Shohei Ohtani was grateful to his team, saying, “I’m very thankful and grateful for all the staff who supported me throughout this year.” As the Dodgers prep for the next leg of the journey, the postseason, Ohtani highlighted the previous stats don’t matter anymore, and that he is going to be focused on remaining consistent throughout. The Dodgers, with a stellar 98 win and a .605 winning percentage, kick off their playoff run Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Let us know if you think Shohei Ohtani can keep up the momentum in the comments.