"Told him I’m gonna be learning something new in Japanese from him every day" - Teoscar Hernandez on why he was teaching Spanish to Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ recently signed outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has opened up about his deal with Shohei Ohtani which involves the two teammates giving each other language lessons.

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Hernandez explained the origins of this cross-cultural conversation in an in-game interview during the Spring Training Opener.

"Yeah, I told Ohtani from the beginning that I’m gonna be learning something new in Japanese from him every day."

However, the lessons may not have been going to plan as Teoscar Hernandez jokingly admitted that his Japanese skills had not improved.

Why did Teoscar Hernandez agree to learn Japanese from Shohei Ohtani?

The Dodgers’ official social media account shared a viral video of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto having a lighthearted Spanish language lesson with Hernandez.

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"Buenos días fanáticos," Ohtani said in Spanish after being coached by Hernandez.

Hernandez, Yamamoto and Ohtani will be essential members of the Dodgers this season.

Yamamoto arrived on a remarkable 12-year, $325 million contract, while Ohtani signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal. Hernandez was given a one-year, $23.5 million deal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers triumphed 14-1 over the San Diego Padres in their Spring Training opener. Teoscar Hernandez made an immediate impact for his new team, registering a hit and two RBIs.

About the author

Pablo Ricalde has been a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda since 2022. A Communication Studies graduate, he attended journalism courses and specialized in copywriting, further adding to his background as a writer.

After 4 years working in the advertising industry and 2 years in sports journalism, Pablo currently works at a Marketing Consulting firm on top of his role at Sportskeeda. He believed in sourcing information only from reliable sources, and refrains from including any opinionated content in his articles.

Pablo was introduced to baseball as a kid by his grandfather, who even coached him in Little League for a year. A massive Boston Red Sox supporter, he ended up becoming a fan in an attempt to be original (as his parents are Yankees fans). Pablo also supports the Diablos Rojos from the Mexican league, his hometown team.

His favorite players of all time are David Ortiz and Derek Jeter, while his current favorites include Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., Alex Verdugo and Randy Arozarena. His favorite moment as a baseball fan was when the Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series Championship, as he was too young to remember 2004.

A huge sports fan in general, Pablo's non-baseball interests include football, basketball, American football, and motorsports (F1, IndyCar and Nascar), music and cinema.

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Edited by Pablo Ricalde