Fans suspect Ohtani ‘knows more English’ as Dodgers celebrate World Series berth
By Bryan Ke
As the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series berth, fans have become convinced that designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is more fluent in English than he appears to be. The Dodgers earned their spot after beating the New York Mets 10-5 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, winning four of their six games against the Mets in the NL division finals, which began on Oct. 13.
- A team effort: At a postgame news conference on Sunday, Ohtani noted that while the road was “tough and hard to win,” they had finally arrived at the World Series. “It was truly a team effort to get here,” the 30-year-old MLB two-way star said through interpreter Will Ireton. Ohtani, who never reached the postseason playoffs with the Los Angeles Angels in six seasons, told Fox Sports that his next goal would be “to finally come to the stage,” play and win the World Series. Ohtani ended the 2024 MLB season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, making him the only member of MLB’s super exclusive 50-50 club. The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the World Series starting Friday, with Game 1 taking place at Dodgers Stadium.
- Fans react: The team went to their locker room to celebrate their World Series berth by dousing each other with beer and champagne. In one viral video, Ohtani addresses another person in English, yelling, “Hey! You’re sober.” This prompted one X user to suspect, “I am convinced this dude knows more English than he lets on.” Meanwhile, another compared the MLB star to Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, speculating that “While Canelo does a ton of interviews in English now, for the longest he approached media with the mentality that a translator allowed fans from his country to hear him (and all the questions he’s asked) in their language.” The Dodgers hired Ireton to be Ohtani’s translator in late March after the firing of Ippei Mizuhara, who has been embroiled in bank and tax fraud charges.
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