Trump Says Ohtani Is Among Best Pitchers and Hitters; Recalls Watching National League Championship Game

By Yu Hirasawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

17:46 JST, October 21, 2025

NEW YORK — U.S. President Donald Trump praised the incredible performance of Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani in the game that recently won the Los Angeles Dodgers another National League pennant. While receiving a visit from a U.S. college baseball team at the White House on Monday, Trump said Ohtani is “one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen, one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen.”

Ohtani started as a pitcher on Friday, when the Dodgers faced the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium. The two-way star hit three home runs on top of pitching six-plus scoreless innings in which he gave up just two hits while striking out 10, to lead the Dodgers to a 5-1 win.

“I turned on [the TV] and there happened to be a Japanese player who was not bad,” said Trump. “They say one of the best games ever played because you had pitching and hitting … with the same guy. Pretty exciting.”