Dodgers' Mookie Betts Fires Back at Shohei Ohtani Criticism

Shohei Ohtani takes the mound tonight for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who square off against the San Diego Padres with first place in the National League West on the line. The winner of tonight's series finale will leave town with sole possession of first place.

All eyes will once again be on Ohtani, who is having his best pitching season to date. Ohtani is 3-2 with a ridiculous 0.82 ERA, 50 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP over 44 innings.

However, Ohtani has not had the typical power season we have come to expect. He has hit only seven home runs after back-to-back 50-plus homer seasons.

Those seasons, along with back-to-back MVP awards, helped establish Ohtani as the face of baseball.

And with being the face of baseball comes mounting expectations and criticism. Many fans have criticized Ohtani for his dip in power and offensive production.

In light of that, teammate Mookie Betts came to his defense.

Mookie Betts Responds to Shohei Ohtani Criticism

In the most recent episode of his podcast, "On Base," Betts spoke with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell about Ohtani's reputation in baseball.

Betts talked about how Ohtani has created such a high standard. If he does not excel in every area, people start to question him.

"That's what I see now. If he doesn't get a hit or maybe has a couple bad games, it's like, ‘Well, what's wrong with Sho?' Betts said. "Well, I mean, he did just go seven innings and give up two hits. He does have a 0.7 ERA. You forget all the other ways that he really affects the game."

What Ohtani does is unprecedented in baseball. Never before has a player had this many tools as both a hitter and pitcher. Ohtani can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases and, as he is showing this season, pitch like a Cy Young candidate.

People have gotten so used to his greatness that they forget how difficult this really is.

Adell, Ohtani's former teammate with the Angels, also spoke about those expectations.

"Hey, this is ridiculous," Adell said. "Sitting on the bench expecting a guy to go do that in a major league game is insane."

Ohtani has started to heat up at the plate, hitting .522 with six extra-base hits and nine RBIs over his last seven games.

Tonight, Ohtani will hit and pitch in the same game for the first time in nearly a month. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. PT.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 11:38 AM.