Major League Baseball wants its superstars to show more personality on the field, but what Shohei Ohtani did Wednesday night is probably not what the league had in mind.
After stealing second base in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 10, Ohtani popped back up, signaled “safe” with his hands, then appeared to make a lewd gesture after removing his batting glove.
It’s possible that the Dodgers’ two-way talent was simply shaking the dirt off his glove, but by positioning his hand in front of his groin as he did it, the gesture looked like something else.
Though the gesture was picked up clearly on the Game’s broadcast, ESPN made no mention of it and cut the replay before the so-called celebration began.
That didn’t stop social media from picking it up. Jomboy Media posted the clip almost immediately via X as fans started weighing in, with some pointing out he was shaking dirt off his glove while others made jokes laced with sexual innuendo.
Former American League MVP Jose Canseco posted the clip as well, writing via X, “This is disgusting.”
Ohtani, 30, is in the first year of a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. He will earn $2 million a year for each year of the deal, with the remaining $680 million deferred to later years, most of which will be when he is retired.
Though Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024 as he recovers from elbow surgery, he has kept up his MVP-level play at the plate. As the National League leader in home runs, he was named to the MLB All-Star Game last week and is a candidate to win his third MVP award in four years. He would become just the second player to ever win MVP in the American and National leagues.
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But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Ohtani since he signed with the Dodgers. He also finds himself wrapped up in Scandal thanks to his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly stealing $17 million from Ohtani to cover gambling debts. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud in June.
Ohtani has denied involvement in the Scandal, and the Dodgers fired Mizuhara during spring training.
“I’ve never bet on baseball or any other sport or ever asked anyone to do it on my behalf,” Ohtani said during a press conference on March 25. “I never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
