Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani made his feelings clear regarding the team’s offseason ambitions.
The Dodgers won the World Series in dramatic fashion, beating the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games. Down 3-2 with two road games left, Los Angeles was on the verge of failing to defend their 2024 title.
Then, manager Dave Roberts got his team refocused and rallied them, pulling off a tough string of back-to-back wins.
In Game 7, the Dodgers were down 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning. With one out on the board, nine-hole hitter Miguel Rojas came up to bat. After battling with Blue Jays closer Trevor Hoffman, Rojas eventually got a hold of one and drove it over the wall, hitting the game-tying home run that kept the Dodgers in the game.
The Dodgers ended up winning the game on the back of Will Smith’s 11th-inning homer, cementing Rojas as a hero in the eyes of fans.
Dodgers supporters were not the only ones grateful for Rojas’ heroics. Shohei Ohtani was also appreciative of Rojas’s efforts and made an effort to send a message about his future.
“I think one of the coolest things that happened in my life, so far. I hit the homer, right? And everybody’s kind of like on top of me, right there in front of the dugout,” Rojas told Chris Rose Sports.
“But then, Shohei, he’s hitting next, right? He popped it up to left, to make it two outs in the inning. Came back to the dugout, and I’m by the back rack, like laying my helmet, and Shohei came to me and he say, ‘Miggy, you can’t retire next year. You’re playing with me for 10 more years.’
“And I got a picture of him kind of like holding me, and telling me that I can’t retire next year, that I have to play 10 more years. And I say, ‘Shohei, I’m old, and I don’t know if I can play for 10 more years, but I’ll play with you next year, for sure.’”
Rojas should end up staying with the Dodgers. The organization tends to reward players who are fan-favorites and locker room leaders. He can also still field at a high level and has positional versatility, both of which will be valuable to the team.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/dodgers-front-office-gets-clear-message-from-shohei-ohtani-11016546
