Justin Verlander's brother makes bold claim about Shohei Ohtani's stature in baseball

MLB analyst Ben Verlander has named Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani as the greatest baseball player on the planet. Verlander believes Ohtani has helped popularize the game across the globe, and playing in Japan while representing the Dodgers is a moment of immense national pride for the baseball-mad country.

Shohei Ohtani is a three-time MVP and undoubtedly the best player in MLB history who has come over from Japan. The two-way superstar is back in his homeland with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2025 Tokyo Series. The reigning World Series champions played two exhibition games with NPB teams and will start their 2025 regular season against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

Ben Verlander, the brother of three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, said on Monday on the Flippin' Bats podcast about the stature of Shohei Ohtani in his own home country. [from 4:20]

"The best player in the sport. The best player in the world. A global superstar. This game has grown exponentially because of him," Verlander said. "He is the greatest baseball player of all time, and now he gets to return home, play in Tokyo, in the Tokyo Dome, in a Dodgers uniform. His first time wearing a major league baseball uniform, I just can't wait.

"Shohei is idolized in Japan," Verlander added. "He is every word you could possibly think of. He's a superstar. He's a hero there. He's talked about this in an interview, how much it means when kids come up to him, saying they want to be him someday. They want to be like Shohei. They want to play like Shohei."

Ohtani marked his first appearance at the Tokyo Dome in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform with a home run against the Yomiuri Giants on Saturday evening.

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"Shohei Ohtani is truly a hero": Ben Verlander

Shohei Ohtani hit a home run against the Yomiuri Giants on Saturday (Image Source: IMAGN)

Ben Verlander further discussed the impact of Shohei Ohtani upon the people of Japan in the latest episode of Flippin' Bats. Verlander recounted his firsthand experience when he had traveled to the country to interview Ohtani.

"One thing rang true to me over and over. It was that Shohei is truly a hero," he said.

"One, baseball means everything to the people in Japan. It's incredible. And Shohei Ohtani, on top of that, means everything to them. I had kid after kid at his little league come up and say, "I want to be Shohei. I want to be like him.""

Ohtani played his first six seasons in the MLB with the Los Angeles Angels, winning two American League MVP honors but failing to reach the playoffs. He joined the Los Angeles Dodgers last year and was named the National League MVP, besides winning the World Series.