Barry Bonds has blasted Shohei Ohtani by saying the two-way Japanese baseball superstar would not have been as dominant had he played a few decades before.
Bonds is one of the best hitters in the history of baseball, holding the single-season home-run record (73) and most home runs in a career (762).
Yet, his legacy is tainted by his possible use of performance-enhancing drugs during his prime slugging days. Despite being federally indicted for perjury, charges that were later dropped, Bonds has never admitted to using steroids.
Bonds has yet to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with Ohtani a surefire first-ballot selection, as he’s viewed as a clean behemoth.
‘There’s no doubt about the type of player he is and what he [has] accomplished in his career,’ Bonds began. ‘The game has just changed. The game is way different than it was when I played. The same way Michael [Jordan] talks about it or anyone else does.’
‘Ohtani is not going to hit two home runs without seeing one go [by his ear] in my generation. I don’t care what he does. He’s not going to steal two bases without somebody decapitating his kneecap to slow him down because it’s a different game back then.’
Bonds has blasted Ohtani, saying he would not have been as dominant in Bonds’ playing days
Last year, Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to achieve a 50-50 season
‘Today’s game, they take batting practice all day. These guys hit more than I’ve ever seen in my entire lifetime … and they should be better than us, hitting-wise, because they can hit a home run, flip their bat up in the air, run around, get a taco, come back down and have a limo drive them around.’
‘All these antics that we weren’t allowed to do. If I did anything like that, I’m going to see a star. I’m going to see a hospital, but I’m not going to see baseball that day.’
Bonds played in Major League Baseball from 1986 through 2007 and was so feared that he was walked 2,558 times in his career, another record.
Last year, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have a 50-50 [home runs and stolen bases] season, almost a year after signing a $700million contract.
Those accomplishments come while the Dodgers star rests his pitching arm and hopes to return to the mound one day.
The Giants-Dodgers rivalry is alive and well, as Ohtani’s play continues to turn heads and make some that came before him upset.
