Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Tim Capurso

Barry Bonds Acknowledges Shohei Ohtani's Greatness, but With a Generational Caveat

Bonds looks on during the NBA's All-Star Weekend. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Seven-time MVP Barry Bonds acknowledged the greatness of Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani, but believes the slugger would be pitched to differently if he played "in his generation." MLB's home run king expressed

"The pitching and hitting has been outstanding … he’s a complete player,” Bonds said during a Thursday appearance on the All the Smoke podcast. "There’s no doubt about the type of player he is and what he’s accomplished in his career; the game has just changed. The game is way different than when I played. The same way Michael [Jordan] talks about it or anyone else.

"Ohtani is not gonna hit two home runs without seeing one go right here [at his head] in my generation ... I don’t care what he does. He’s not gonna steal two bases without someone [trying to decapitate] his kneecap to slow him down because it was a different game back then."

After noting how much batting practice he feels today's players take compared to prior generations, Bonds went on to add that he feels today's stars—and he's presumably lumping Ohtani in here—get away with "antics" after hitting a home run.

"They should be better than us, hitting-wise, because they can hit a home run, flip their bat up in the air, get a taco, come back down, have a limo, drive around, all these antics that we weren’t allowed to do," Bonds said. "If I did that … I’ll see the hospital, but there ain’t no way I’m gonna see a baseball again."

Ohtani, serving as a full-time hitter as he recovered from elbow surgery in his first season in Los Angeles, joined Bonds in the exclusive 40-home run, 40-stolen base club, then created the 50-50 club in a campaign that saw him win his third MVP award and a World Series title with the Dodgers.

To be clear, Bonds respects Ohtani's skills. But he also believes the Dodgers star benefits from a more forgiving game than the one he played.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barry Bonds Acknowledges Shohei Ohtani's Greatness, but With a Generational Caveat.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.