President Donald Trump compared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to the legendary Babe Ruth during a recent event. Ohtani, a standout player for the Dodgers, was acknowledged at the White House on a day off from the East Coast road trip.
“The 2025 Dodger season was one for the record books in 150 years of Major League Baseball. No player has ever earned more than one unanimous league MVP, except for an international legend named Shohei Ohtani,” President Trump said.
During a ceremony in the Rose Garden, Trump held a Dodgers jersey with his name and the number 47. He praised Ohtani for his extraordinary achievements in the 2025 season, which included a franchise-record 55 home runs and a third consecutive unanimous league MVP award.
Across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Ohtani reached new heights, hitting 99 home runs. His performance led the National League with a 1.025 OPS during this period. Though he did not pitch in 2024 due to elbow surgery, he returned in 2025 with a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. This figure was identical to his American League-leading performance in 2022.
Nicknamed “the Japanese Babe Ruth,” Ohtani is unique in MLB history for having over 300 plate appearances and pitching more than 40 innings in six separate seasons. Babe Ruth managed this feat twice and never stole 50 bases.
President Trump commented on Babe Ruth’s trade, calling it the worst in sports history. “Babe was 19 years old… I would say Babe will always say, ‘Take that.’ He was 19, and they got a 36-year-old third baseman and $100,000, so I would rate that pretty bad,” Trump remarked.
In 1920, the Red Sox traded Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 and a $300,000 loan for Fenway Park.
Ohtani continues to excel in the current season, boasting a .283 batting average, 22 home runs, 60 RBI, and six stolen bases over 94 games. As a pitcher, he is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts, although he recently missed a start due to a knee issue. Ohtani aims to lead the Dodgers to a third consecutive World Series title with a strong second half.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.