"Making Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge feel small": Colin Cowherd makes feelings known about Shohei Ohtani's unmatched aura

Shohei Ohtani had a lot of expectations on his shoulders as he made the trip to his home country of Japan as a proud member of the 2024 World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. And he certainly didn't disappoint the Tokyo Dome crowd on both nights with LA sweeping the Chicago Cubs.

Shohei went 3-for-8 in the two games. He reached base twice on Tuesday, hitting a single and a double and scoring both times as his Dodgers teammates drove him in. On Wednesday he lit up the Tokyo Dome with a beautiful hit to right field that just went over the fence to be called a home run after umpire review.

Each time Shohei came onto the plate, he was showered with deafening cheers, reinforcing the superhero-like stardom he has in Japan. Considering the series was more about the cultural ties between American and Japanese baseball, Shohei Ohtani, despite being vocal about his nerves, embraced the occasion.

American sports media personality Colin Cowherd, in a special segment on his NFL podcast 'The Herd,' made a point about Shohei. In his opinion, he has transcended any other baseball star to ever play the game and can be regarded as one of the greats like Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Stephen Curry. His aura has made players like Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper look small.

"The greatest baseball player ever. Yeah, it's not particularly close, man. Is there anybody in sports right now that meets the moment like Shohei, it is very Messi, and MJ and Tiger in his prime and Steph and LeBron, dude meets the moment.

"And never forget this he's a leadoff hitter and he could be an All Star pitcher, half of his greatest skill he's not even using yet, the pitching part, Mahomes can't play linebacker, Ovechkin's not a goalie. What you're seeing now is making Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge all time great players feel small," Cowherd said.

Dave Roberts makes his feelings known about Shohei Ohtani rising to the occasion

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recognized Ohtani and the presence he brought to the Tokyo Series. In his opinion, the 30-year-old is indeed a superhero-like figure for all the Japanese faithful, and he has made it a habit to deliver in the biggest of moments.

"I know Shohei puts his pants on just like we all do, one leg at a time," Roberts said. "But if there's ever a superhero, I think Shohei just seems like a superhero. In the biggest of games or the biggest of moments, he seems to always deliver."

With the momentum on their side as they return to the States, Shohei and co. would be hoping to continue their quest for a repeat championship.