Dylan Hernandez, a senior sports reporter for the California Post, received major backlash from fans after a Monday segment on 97.1 The Fan in Los Angeles questioned whether Shohei Ohtani is a team-first player.
Ohtani was last seen in action on Sunday, when the Los Angeles Dodgers lost 5-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite the defeat, he went 2-for-4 with a home run. He did not play in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, opting to rest his injured left knee.
Speaking to Doug McKain, a Dodgers beat writer, and Bill Reiter, Hernandez, who had been a longtime Dodgers beat writer as well, initially seemed to question Ohtani’s priorities but then circled back and determined that Ohtani isn’t selfish:
“I don’t think most of his teammates know him either. And so, I think, you know, there was always kind of this, like, well, what is he really prioritiZing? You weren’t ever quite sure. Would he put the Cy Young, right, his pursuit of the Cy Young Award — Which he did kind of publicly say he wanted, when he reported to spring training — Would he put that kind of in front of like the team ambitions? And what I do think that this showed is that he will put the team first, right? He’s not going to pursue this Cy Young Award at all costs. And I think that because of that, you can actually kind of trust him to make the right decisions about his own body, you know, and he’s going to put the team, I think, in front of himself.”
The analyst also pointed to Ohtani’s 2023 game against the Seattle Mariners, when he was forced to stop pitching because of sudden hand cramps but remained in the game as the Los Angeles Angels’ designated hitter:
“I do think now there’s enough kind of evidence that he’s gonna put the team first.”
Although Hernandez praised Ohtani, the conversation drew criticism from fans, who took digs at Hernandez.
“Ridiculous to even question it. Shohei has always been team first as are most dodgers. It’s team’s culture.”
Another user mocked the analyst:
Another follower tweeted:
Sharing their support for Ohtani, another user penned:
Along similar lines, another fan chimed in:
Will Shohei Ohtani be available for the Dodgers’ weekend series against the New York Yankees?
Shohei Ohtani is expected to be available for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ upcoming series against the New York Yankees. After having fluid drained from his left knee, he is set to serve as the designated hitter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the 32-year-old underwent the procedure to relieve irritation and confirmed that he would be in the lineup. Before managing the National League in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, Roberts said:
“He’s going to be in the lineup.”
The three-game regular-season series between the Dodgers and Yankees will be played from Friday to Sunday at Yankee Stadium in New York.
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