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Shohei Ohtani Bought Dave Roberts a 'Car' Before Breaking His Dodgers Record

Tim Capurso|
Shohei Ohtani and Dave Roberts during a postgame press conference following the Los Angeles Dodgers' 11—2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Shohei Ohtani and Dave Roberts during a postgame press conference following the Los Angeles Dodgers' 11—2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. | Screengrab Twitter @DodgerInsider

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani, the $700 million man, bought his manager Dave Roberts a new car before Saturday's game, which saw the two-way star break Roberts's record for the most career home runs by a Japanese-born Dodgers player.

Only, it wasn't a car in the sense that Roberts thought, as Ohtani had actually gifted the Dodgers skipper a toy Porsche in an amusing prank before the game against the Atlanta Braves, which resulted in an 11—2 victory for Los Angeles.

After the game, Roberts made an appearance at Ohtani's press conference, showing off the mini Porsche to reporters as he shared a laugh with the Dodgers star.

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Ohtani was then asked about the toy Porsche.

"He said he wanted a car and I'm glad that he was happy he got a car," Ohtani said.

The Dodgers star, after breaking Hideki Matsui's record for the most career home runs by a Japanese-born major leaguer in April, joked with Roberts, who was born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, that he was coming for his record next.

True to his word, Ohtani eclipsed Roberts's mark — seven home runs in 302 games with Los Angeles from 2002 to '04 — with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.

The homer was part of another productive day for Ohtani, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored — and one perfectly executed prank.

Roberts, asked about the toy car before the game, had this to say.

"He did buy me a car," Roberts said. "I guess I didn't specify what type of car. So I can't say he never gave me anything."

Ohtani ranks second in MLB in OPS through 34 games played in 2024.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.

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