When Freddie Freeman showed up to spring training for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani was already there.
And the media frenzy was in full force.
It was then that Freeman realized what a media circus he was in for and the sheer spectacle that Ohtani’s presence commands. He painted the vivid picture of being along for the Shohei Ohtani show — and the media mayhem that comes with it — during an appearance on New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.
“I’ve never seen so many cameras throughout the course of the year than I did this year,” the 2024 World Series MVP said. “It was mayhem everywhere we went. So, Shohei started leading off at the end of the year, and we had Mookie [Betts] hitting second and me hitting third. Mookie and I started laughing. Say it’s the top of the eighth or top of the ninth, Shohei has his last at-bat, 15,000 people just immediately get up out of their seats and just walk out of the stadium because they’re like, ‘Ah, Shohei’s done.’
“And Mookie and I are on deck, and we’re like, ‘Sheesh, they don’t care about us at all.’ … And that’s what it’s like. Shohei is such a global superstar, and everywhere he went, every city, they want to see him — rightfully so. He went 50-50 this year; he’s gonna win the first MVP as a DH. He’s just incredible. And what people forget is that he’s rehabbing Tommy John… and then he goes out and hits 50 home runs.
“It’s special to watch him go about his business every day — it’s crazy. And he’s going to be pitching next year. It’s mind-blowing. It really is. It’s like what we do in Little League, and he’s doing it in the Big Leagues.”
Again, Freeman echoed that “mayhem” followed the Dodgers everywhere they went this season.
For Freeman, this season was anything but ordinary. And we’re not talking about his Kirk Gibson-esque home run.
Ohtani’s presence on the National League’s best team turned every game (and every series) into a media circus. Cameras flashed, reporters swarmed, and the spotlight was always on the Japanese phenom. Even Freeman and Betts couldn’t escape the Ohtani effect, as crowds thinned after his at-bats late in games.
Ohtani’s not just a baseball player; he’s a global superstar, and the world watches his every move.
And so do his Dodgers teammates, who can’t believe they’re witnessing history at every turn.
