NO ONE CREATES MORE FUN THAN OHTANI — IN SPORTS — BUT JUDGE HAS TO WIN

Baseball dearly needs a World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees, but in the end, Los Angeles fans are delighted by the Shohei experience while New York demands an elusive October championship

     The MVP race is over. Shohei Ohtani is the Most Vibrant Player in sports, even if he can’t pitch or play defense and do anything beyond designated-hitting duties. Who else would convince his dog, a Dutch Kooikerhondje, to fetch a ball on the mound and promptly race to his owner as he crouched behind home plate? All while 40,000 fans, among 53,290 who tried, took home a bobblehead of Ohtani and Decoy.

     “A really special night,” said the master. “I hope to buy a special snack for him.”

     And then, when the Dodgers traveled to Arizona, who would give baseball followers another treat? Ohtani hit his 43rd home run on the same night of his 43rd stolen base, which helped his team to a 10-9 victory. He might only appear in the postseason, with his team’s pitching staff in such disarray that one series sends him home to hug Decoy all winter. Clayton Kershaw becomes the latest doctor’s appointment, with a bone spur on his left big toe, which likely will place him on the injured list. Is it possible to see Ohtani try to pitch prematurely this season?

     No, in any language. But the joy of watching him play ball, usually with a smile, is why the Dodgers overpower the major leagues with a 48,474 attendance average at home and also lead road teams with a 35,415 figure. No one is certain what happens in this sport when the collective bargaining agreement expires in 2026. But tell a sellout crowd at Chase Field that Ohtani didn’t make Friday night much more fun.

     Sport requires bliss, now more than ever. If cars filled with giddy people jam roads heading into Chavez Ravine — just to snag a disproportionate figurine — Ohtani brings feelings of pleasure and happiness that almost transcend how a team performs. We are past the astonishment that he slugs as well as almost anyone, other than Aaron Judge, and the knowledge that he pitches as well as almost anyone. In Los Angeles, he has merged with the appeal of the Hollywood sign without trying. The people want him to make magic in ways they’ve never seen, such as the 50-50 journey that should become his exclusively in MLB history.

     But watching folks crowd into the gates and stores, for anything related to Shohei, is an industry that makes his 10-year, $700 million salary seem like a bargain. He unites the masses — male and female, young and aging, White and Black and Hispanic and Japanese — in ways we haven’t seen in southern California since Kobe Bryant was alive. Maybe never. “I heard that Decoy was going to throw out the first pitch, and I'm impressed that the dog was already that trained,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I guess if it's Shohei's dog, nothing should be surprising.”

     Somehow, fans don’t seem to sweat as much that the Dodgers have won only one World Series — in 2020, when we were dazed by the pandemic — since Kirk Gibson’s home run in 1988. They show up to see Ohtani. When he arrived at the ballpark on his latest bobblehead night, he was surprised to see traffic mobs. “I wasn't really aware of this situation,” he said. “I thought there was some other special event going on.”

     Yeah, him.

     The fans have no interest in whether Ohtani balked a few times — and wondered why his bank account was choking — when former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara made 19,000 wagers between December 2021 and January 2024. That’s 25 bets a day, forcing him into debts of $40 million. He knew about Mizuhara’s moods, considering they spent years as partners seemingly attached by hips. And if Ohtani was truly aware, he faces issues as a Californian covering up financially for an addicted gambler. But if the public-address announcer asked if anyone is bothered by the potential cover-up, who would raise a hand? Beyond the other team’s manager?

     They prefer to project love toward Shohei and Decoy, also known as Dekopin. “For people here, I think the pronunciation is difficult,” Ohtani said. “His original name was Decoy. So when I explain it to people, I introduce him as Decoy because it’s easier.”

     His power and speed defy a human’s body functions. His elbow breaks down and forces him to avoid pitching this season, yet he continues to dominate and remains a favorite to win the real MVP award — Most Valuable Player in the National League. “I’m telling you, any big moment, he seems to rise up to the occasion,” Roberts said.

     It’s still late August, meaning it’s too early to suggest the Dodgers will play the New York Yankees in the World Series. It’s what baseball dearly needs, a bi-coastal clash showcasing Ohtani and Judge. As we await the 50-50 romance on the West Coast, Judge remains at 51 homers with 123 runs batted in and isn’t far behind Bobby Witt Jr. with a .331 batting average. It’s preposterous that he would break Barry Bonds’ single-season record of 73, but if we eliminate the steroid-juiced asterisks of Bonds and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, why can’t Judge pass his American League record of 62?

     “I’m not going to put a limit on what Aaron Judge can do,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Seven-three is such a massive number. I don’t know. But then again, records are made to be broken. That’s one of the great things about our sport. The amazing part of what Aaron is doing is, I don’t necessarily feel like he’s on fire right now. I just feel like he’s this good. You’re witnessing greatness. I mean, you really are. He’s just kind of better than everyone.”

     Only Judge can have 51 blasts and not feel his best. He agrees. “I’m trying to get locked in. Once we get locked in, I’ll let you guys know,” he said.

     Maybe Baltimore will play Milwaukee in the Series. But baseball needs the killer rage of Ohtani vs. Judge with a Los Angeles vs. New York aura. What we know is that Judge needs to win it all, for the first time in 15 years for the franchise. “He’s trying to have the best at-bats and help us win the championship,” Boone said.

     Shohei? The dog, for now, will serve us.

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     Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.