Shohei Ohtani always says "hello," according to MLB umpires, at least, that's what Buster Olney reported during ESPN's broadcast of the Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees game on Sunday night.
Olney briefly joined the broadcast during the bottom of the fifth inning and informed fans that Ohtani makes it a habit of saying hello to the home plate umpire whenever he comes to bat during a game. Apparently most players exchange pleasantries with the umpire and catcher during their first plate appearance of the game, Ohtani does it every single time.
Shohei Ohtani is the only player in MLB that says hi to the ump before every at-bat, umpires told @Buster_ESPN. pic.twitter.com/3AoQOTjeVn
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 2, 2025
"Umpires have told me Ohtani is the only hitter in the big leagues who will say hi to them before every plate appearance. So he'll go to, a lot of players will go up to the plate in their first at bat and he'll say hi at that point. He'll say hit to the catcher. Ohtani will do it before every plate appearance," said Olney.
So while Ohtani is only second in MLB in home runs following the Dodgers weekend series against the Yankees, he does still lead baseball in hello's.
Clearly Ohtani missed his true calling as a Home Federal Savings Bank teller.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Umpires Reveal What Makes Shohei Ohtani Different From Every Other MLB Player.
