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President Donald Trump compared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to one of the greatest to ever do it, Babe Ruth.
The Dodgers visited the White House Thursday afternoon during a day off from their East Coast road trip, where Trump recognized Ohtani for his remarkable accomplishments.
“The 2025 Dodger season was one for the record books in 150 years of Major League Baseball. No player has ever earned more than one unanimous league MVP, except for an international legend named Shohei Ohtani,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump wears a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey with his name and number 47 during a ceremony honoring the 2025 World Series champions in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC on July 23, 2026. (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)
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“He’s great. He’s great. Everybody loves him. Last year, Shohei did what was previously unthinkable. No one thought it was possible. He got his third straight unanimous league MVP with a franchise-record 55 home runs. And if you would have told me you can be the best pitcher and the best hitter at the same time, you know, it was pretty close, Babe Ru.”
Across 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 didn’t pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery, but returned to the bump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per inning.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shohei Ohtani listens as President Donald Trump speaks during an event honoring the 2025 World Series champion Dodgers in the Rose Garden at the White House, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Ohtani, called by many “the Japanese Babe Ruth,” is the only player in MLB history to have more than 300-plus plate appearances and more than 40-plus innings in six separate seasons. Ruth did it only twice and never stole 50 bases.
Trump called the Boston Red Sox trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees the worst trade in sports history.
“Babe was 19 years old. They considered it the worst trade in the history of sports. I’d say Babe will always say, ‘Take it.’ He was 19 and they got a 36-year-old third baseman and $100,000, so I’d rate that pretty bad. They drafted him as a pitcher, but he did something very unusual. He led the league in home runs as a pitcher. You’ve got to do that,” Trump said while pointed at Ohtani.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Miguel Rojas and Shohei Ohtani react as President Donald Trump hosts the 2025 MLB World Series champions in the Rose Garden at the White House on July 23, 2026, in Washington, DC. (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 RBI 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 problem. Ohtani will look to lead the Dodgers to a third straight World Series title with a strong second half.
