"Just cruel" - Shohei Ohtani's media scrutiny gets blasted by Justin Verlander's brother after parallel parking video surfaces

The downside of being a high-profile star like Shohei Ohtani is the intense media scrutiny that comes with it. While it's nearly impossible to criticize Ohtani’s baseball skills, his off-field activities have become a new target for content.

On Wednesday, TMZ released a video showing Ohtani struggling to parallel park. The footage was captured from behind Will Ireton, Ohtani’s interpreter.

Upon seeing the clip, Justin Verlander's brother, Ben Verlander, criticized the media outfit for publishing the video.

"TMZ taking a video of Shohei Ohtani parallel parking is just cruel. Nobody deserves to have a camera recording them parallel park. Especially when you’re this bad at it," Verlander wrote on X.

---

Ben Verlander previously picked Shohei Ohtani over Aaron Judge

While MLB analyst Ben Verlander has had his differences with LA Dodgers fans, he had no doubts about who was the best player in baseball last season, much to the delight of Dodgers supporters.

Before Ohtani was picked as the unanimous MVP in November, Verlander praised him on his “Flippin’ Bats” podcast, arguing that Ohtani’s historic 50-50 season (59 stolen bases, 54 home runs) cemented his status as the game’s top player.

"I think Shohei's history of 50/50 matters," Verlander said (38:07 mark). I think the fact that Aaron Judge didn’t break his own record and didn’t break the home run record matters. I think Shohei’s hot finish to the season matters."

"I think Aaron Judge’s cold finish to the season matters. I think Shohei Ohtani stealing 59 bases and getting into scoring position for his team, and scoring runs at a much better pace when he gets on base than Aaron Judge, matters."

While Aaron Judge, also a unanimous AL MVP in 2024, led the league with 58 home runs, Ohtani’s slugging numbers surpassed the New York Yankees captain in several areas.

With another season ahead and both Judge and Ohtani in their prime, the debate over baseball’s biggest star will continue.