TL;DR - Scouting Report
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts meets Japanese legend Sadaharu Oh, discussing hitting, Shohei Ohtani, and celebrating a connection between MLB and NPB greats.
Start the Rally: Tweet This Now!Dodgers manager went back home to Japan and got to spend some time with and meet Japanese legend Sadaharu Oh, MLB shared on X.
Oh played 22 seasons, all for the Yomiuri Giants, stemming from 1959 until 1980, hitting a world baseball record 868 HRs. His 2,170 RBIs would rank fourth all-time, sitting behind Hank Aaron (2,297), Albert Pujols (2,218) and Babe Ruth (2,214).
Now 84 years old, Oh is the chairmain of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.
He was a two-time Japan Series winner in 1999 and 2003 with Fukuoka. Perhaps his crown achievement as a manager is winning the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, defeating Cuba.
Roberts, meanwhile, is only 52 years old and fresh off winning his second World Championship, defeating the Yankees in five games. He has won four pennants. His 56 postseason wins is one behind both Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy, sitting sixth all-time in MLB history. He trails Joe Torre by 28 wins.
“I actually had a chance to have dinner with Sadaharu Oh. I always thought he was a figment of my imagination. We were talking hitting. Obviously, he’s a huge fan of Shohei (Ohtani). I never really believed that Sadaharu Oh existed until I saw him and put eyes on him.
Dave Roberts
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