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President Donald Trump compared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to one of the greatest to ever make it, Babe Ruth.
The Dodgers visited the White House Thursday afternoon on an off day during their East Coast road trip, where Trump recognized Ohtani for his notable accomplishments.
“The 2025 Dodgers season was a record-breaking season in the 150 years of Major League Baseball. No player has ever won more than one unanimous league MVP award, except for an international legend named Shohei Ohtani,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump holds a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey bearing his name and the number 47 during a ceremony honoring the 2025 World Series champions in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, July 23, 2026. (Olivier Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)
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“He’s amazing. He’s amazing. Everyone loves him. Last year, Shohei did what was previously unthinkable. Nobody thought it was possible. He won his third consecutive unanimous league MVP with a franchise record 55 home runs. And if you told me you can be the best pitcher and the best hitter at the same time, you know, Babe Ruth was pretty close to that.”
In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Ohtani’s incredible career reached new heights, as he hit 99 home runs in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS during that span.
Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery, but returned to the hump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine, a number he also posted in 2022, which led the American League.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shohei Ohtani listens to President Donald Trump’s speech during an event honoring the 2025 World Series champion Dodgers in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Ohtani, nicknamed by many as the “Japanese Babe Ruth”, is the only player in MLB history to have more than 300 plate appearances and more than 40 innings in six separate seasons. Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases.
Trump called the Boston Red Sox’s trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees the worst trade in sports history.
“Babe was 19. They considered it the worst job in the history of sports. I would say Babe will always say, ‘Take that.’ He was 19 and they got a 36 year old third baseman for $100,000, so I’d say that’s pretty bad. They drafted him as a pitcher, but he did something very unusual. He led the league in home runs as a pitcher. This one you have to do,” Trump said, pointing to Ohtani.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Miguel Rojas and Shohei Ohtani react as President Donald Trump welcomes the 2025 MLB World Series champions to the Rose Garden of the White House July 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays in seven games to win their second consecutive World Series title and ninth overall. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In 1920, the Red Sox sold Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 and a $300,000 loan to Fenway Park.
Ohtani is in the midst of another brilliant season. As a hitter, he has a .283 batting average with 22 home runs, 60 RBIs and six stolen bases in 94 games.
As a pitcher, he is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts, but recently missed a start due to a knee issue. Ohtani will look to lead the Dodgers to a third straight World Series title with a strong second half.
