It looks like somebody needs to brush up on their baseball history – or even just history in general.
Ben Verlander, an MLB analyst for FOX Sports and noted Shohei Ohtani superfan, said that the Japanese star’s signing is the most important in the history of the L.A. Dodgers.
“This means everything,” Verlander said Tuesday. “It’s the most important signing in Dodgers history, I have no problem saying that. It’s the most important, it’s the biggest and I think it will be the most impactful and it’s already impactful. Not on the field, but odds-wise the Dodgers are now the odds-on favourite to win the World Series.”
Hmm. Forgetting someone, maybe?
Back in 1947, a man named Jackie Robinson debuted for the then-Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s colour barrier and becoming the first Black player to ever take the field.
Sounds pretty important, eh, Ben?
Robinson would play 10 seasons for the Dodgers, making six all-star games and winning the 1949 MVP award. His No. 42 was retired across Major League Baseball – except for one day a year, Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, when every player in the league wears it.
Ohtani, of course, is special in his own right. The two-time AL MVP is a two-way player the likes of which haven’t been seen since the days of Babe Ruth. The Japanese phenom’s 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers is the biggest in sports history.
Verlander, who is the brother of future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, was roasted online for his take.
Former Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner reposted the clip and provided his own take on the franchise’s greatest signing.
“There is no #17 without #42. Come on man #SMH #JackieRobinson #ComeOnMan #TerribleTake,” Turner posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Verlander has yet to respond to the backlash.