Baltimore Orioles play-by-play voice Kevin Brown asked, “Shohei who?” Monday night and was promptly introduced to the face of Major League Baseball, Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani is unequivocally the best player in baseball, which Brown would agree. But after watching Orioles infielder Adam Frazier hit a home run off Ohtani in the second inning of their game against the Los Angeles Angels, Brown’s excitement briefly got the best of him.
Frazier is THAT dude 💪 pic.twitter.com/qfJkOmweWw
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 15, 2023
“Shohei who?” Brown asked with enthusiasm as Frazier sent Ohtani’s pitch over the right field fence at Baltimore’s Camden Yards.
Brown may not have intended to slight Ohtani by asking “Shohei who?” but his timing of poking the bear couldn’t have been worse for the Orioles. Just in case Brown really needed to be reminded of who Shohei is, the face of Major League Baseball proceeded to pitch seven innings while mashing four hits, including a home run and a triple, leading the Angels to a 9-5 victory over Baltimore.
Ohtani has faced a lot of unjust criticism throughout his career with the Angels. To be fair, the Orioles broadcaster didn’t make a habit of snubbing Ohtani Monday night. Brown spoke glowingly of Ohtani during a pregame segment on MASN, acknowledging he’s “The greatest baseball player alive today, I don’t think it’s defensible.”
And after Ohtani reminded everyone of who he is, Brown lauded the Angels superstar again later in the broadcast.
“How can you not, if you’re a fan of the game – whether you want the Orioles to win or not – and if you’re watching this broadcast, you probably do,” Brown said in the ninth inning. “How can you not as a fan of the game, just sit back and say, ‘Wow,’ and admire that we’re in the presence of a generational player.”
Shohei who? Just the player who hit the ball farther and threw it harder than anyone else who played in the game Monday night.
[MASN]
