Shohei Ohtani’s ex-teammate exposes fascinating details about the Dodgers superstar’s demeanor

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty feels Shohei Ohtani has a remarkable personality that allows the Japanese icon to remain unaffected by the hype and attention surrounding him. Flaherty feels that Ohtani maintains a certain humility that does not let his superstardom affect the relationship with his teammates.

Jack Flaherty was reacquired by the Detroit Tigers upon agreeing to a two-year, $35 million contract earlier this month. He had spent the second half of the 2024 season as a teammate of Shohei Ohtani after he was shipped off by the team to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.

Earlier this week, Jack Flaherty made a guest appearance on the Flippin' Bats podcast hosted by Ben Verlander, brother of three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. The Detroit Tigers pitcher discussed the persona of Shohei Ohtani during the show. [from 22:27]

"He's unfazed," Flaherty said. "He's Shohei. He's just not Shotime at all. He's one of the guys when he's in the clubhouse, on the bus. You see how big he is, in terms of stardom, when he's on the field, when you're going anywhere, and whatnot. You see those things, but he's like one of the dudes.

"He welcomes everybody, and he's very professional, very courteous, and very much just wants guys to just feel accepted and be welcomed in the clubhouse," Flaherty added. "He welcomed each and every guy that came in, even people who'd come in and visit the team."

Flaherty proved to be a vital addition to the depleted Dodgers starting rotation last season on their road to the World Series title. He had remained an unsigned free agent for much of the offseason before deciding to rejoin the Tigers.

Nobody hits the ball harder, farther: Jack Flaherty on Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani posted the first 50-50 campaign in his first season with the Dodgers (Image Source: IMAGN)

During his appearance on Flippin Bats, Jack Flaherty offered his perpective of Shohei Ohtani as a player, having observed him from close quarters while he was a teammate of the there-time MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"He's incredible," Flaherty remarked. "Nobody hits the ball harder, farther, all of it. Every time he got out there, it felt like he was going to something, and he pretty much did, damn near every time he did.

"Even battling through with a sling on his shoulder in the World Series," Flaherty continued. "Still out there for games three, four, and five. Even though the entire impact wasn't quite there, him being out there was everything."

Shohei Ohtani made a sparkling World Series debut by hitting a home run in Game 1 against the New York Yankees, but later suffered a dislocated shoulder after injuring himself in a stolen base attempt. He still played through the rest of the Fall Classic despite keeping his left arm in a sling when he was not batting.