“He Wanted a Car…He Got a Car” Shohei Ohtani Pranks on Dave Roberts After Breaking His Homer Record

Who knew Shohei Ohtani was a little prankster? The Los Angeles Dodgers star has always been one of the most private individuals. Though there had been ramblings of his happy-go-lucky personality, there was little evidence beyond some odd dugout videos. But now that he has broken his skipper Dave Roberts’ home run record, Shotime’s hilarious prank on the Doc has come to light. 

It had been a long time coming for Ohtani. He was tied with Dave Roberts in the list of highest homers by a Japanese-born Dodgers player. However, yesterday the superstar’s rocket against the Atlanta Braves finally pushed him ahead of Roberts. To commemorate this occasion, Ohtani gave the skipper a memorable gift. Fulfilling Roberts’ wish, Ohtani gave him a Porsche – only it was something that could fit in Doc’s desk. 

“He said he wanted a car and I’m glad that he was happy he got a car,” Ohtani said in a light-hearted manner in his postgame interview. The superstar had gifted Doc a toy car which the Dodgers’ skipper proudly flaunted to the reporters when he interrupted Ohtani’s press conference.

“So tonight, he passed me for the Japanese-born Dodger home run record. So Shohei, I just want to say congratulations and thank you very much. This is my car…This car fits on my desk!” Dave Roberts said in a wholesome moment. The manager looked quite pleased with Ohtani’s gift and was showing it to everyone during the conference. But will the two-way phenom ever give the full-sized car to Dave Roberts? He might but Ohtani has a small condition for it. 

Shohei Ohtani’s small condition and his growing comfort with the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse

Later reporters asked whether Ohtani would give a car to Dave Roberts. To this Ohtani quipped, “If we win the World Series, I’ll think about it.” There were visible waves of laughter after this. However, this prank also revealed Ohtani’s growing comfort in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Just a few days ago his teammate Kike Hernandez had revealed something highly peculiar about Ohtani.

“He’s such a joy to be around. He’s a sneaky clown and funny guy,” Kike Hernandez said about Ohtani in Roggin And Rodney podcast. Hernandez also revealed how the 2x MVP is slowly getting better at communicating with his teammates and is building a solid relationship with them. This prank certainly proves Hernandez right about Ohtani’s personality. It’ll be quite interesting to see how close this Dodgers squad grows in the coming days.