Barry Bonds, the home run king in MLB record books, believes that Shohei Ohtani is a “complete player” but that he wouldn’t have had the same success in his era due to what’s not allowed now.
Shohei Ohtani’s greatness can’t be overstated enough, but another all-time great hitter in baseball thinks the game is a bit easier for the Los Angeles Dodgers star compared to his time in MLB.
Barry Bonds, arguably the greatest hitter of all time, appeared on the “All The Smoke” podcast where he shared his belief that ballplayers have it easier in the batter’s box compared to his time in the league from 1986-2007.
“The game has just changed,” Bonds said. “The game is way different than it was when I played. The same way Michael (Jordan) talks about it or anybody does. Ohtani is not gonna hit two home runs without seeing one go (by his ear) in my generation. I don’t care what he does. He’s not gonna steal two bases without someone decapitating his kneecap to slow him down. It’s a different game back then.”
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Bonds has a point regarding intentional pitches thrown up and in on batters to give them a scare – the game has regressed in that aspect on the pitcher’s mound.
However, Bonds isn’t trying to take away what Ohtani has been able to accomplish since Ohtani came over to the States from Japan.
“The pitching and hitting have been outstanding for what he’s done,” Bonds said of Ohtani. “Baserunning. He’s a complete player. There’s no doubt about the type of player he is and what he’s accomplished in his career.”
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But the point still stands in Bonds’ eyes: In a game where celebrating home runs is encouraged now instead of frowned upon, Ohtani doesn’t have to worry about retaliation – at least not like he would have in the past.
“They should be better than us hitting-wise, because they can hit a home run, throw their bat up in the air, run around, get a taco, come back down and have a limo drive them around,” Bonds said, jokingly. “All these antics that we weren’t allowed to do.
“If I did anything like that, I’m gonna see a star. I’m gonna see a hospital, but I ain’t gonna see baseball that day.”
Bonds, of course, is a polarizing former star within the game of baseball, owning the most home runs ever, breaking Hank Aaron’s record with his own 762 over his illustrious career.
Despite being considered arguably the greatest hitter of all time, Bonds remains out of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York due to being a central figure in MLB’s steroids scandal.
Bonds was indicted in 2007 on perjury charges as well as obstruction of justice for allegedly lying in front of a grand jury during the government’s investigation into BALCO, a main manufacturer of an undetectable steroid that was running rampant in the league.
The perjury charges were eventually dropped, but Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2011. He had to fight until he was exonerated on appeal in 2015.
During that time, Bonds’ 10 years of eligibility on the Hall of Fame ballot didn’t see voters giving him the 75% acceptance rate to be an inductee, some of which stating they wouldn’t vote for him due to the belief he used PEDs.
Ohtani was caught up in his own scandal this past offseason, though he was the victim rather than the culprit.
Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was found to be stealing millions from the Dodgers star’s bank account to cover gambling losses. Federal prosecutors asked for a 57-month prison sentence while also asking Mizuhara to pay $16.9 million of restitution to Ohtani and another $1.1 million to the IRS.
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