Shohei Ohtani Rejects Dodgers Top Honor With Massive Praise for $325M Teammate

Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Eno Sarris made a bold claim. “No starting rotation has come online just in time like the Death Star forming in Los Angeles.” Their rotation is loaded with stars like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. Even the legendary Clayton Kershaw might be available for October. Any one of them could be the ace for most MLB teams, but for this super-rotation, who holds that title?

That question heated up after Shohei Ohtani’s 100th career start on September 23 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ohtani pitched a season-high six scoreless innings while striking out eight batters without a single walk. Ohtani left the game with a comfortable 4-0 lead, only to watch the team’s bullpen spectacularly collapse in a 5-4 walk-off loss. On MLB Network, former big leaguer Sean Casey made a bold declaration after that.

Casey pointed to Ohtani’s elite 1.91 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), which suggested he was the best pitcher in baseball on a per-inning basis by a wide margin. Casey even praised Ohtani’s now seven-pitch arsenal, which includes everything from a 101 mph fastball to a tricky sweeper that leaves hitters clueless. “So the Dodgers are right where they want to be right now with Shohei doing what he’s doing,” Casey concluded. “I’d have to think right now, he’s their ace.”

But Ohtani himself rejected the honor. When asked about the team’s ace, Ohtani didn’t hesitate to say, “As for Yoshinobu, I think he was the only one who essentially maintained the rotation for the entire year and pitched for the full season, so I think he’s the ace of the team. And the fact that he pitched like that today with such high expectations is something that the team is pleased about as we head into the postseason, so I think it was a truly wonderful season.” Japan’s Nikkan Sports reported.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West title with an 8-0 win over the D-backs on September 25, where Shotime’s $325 million teammate pitched a brilliant six scoreless innings for his 12th win and 201st strikeout with a 2.49 ERA. And in a tweet, Dodgers Nation shared how cheerfully Yamamoto was greeted by his teammates, with head taps and hugs from Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, and others after his last start of the regular season.

Meanwhile, Ohtani himself blasted his 54th home run in that same game before humbly passing the torch.

But the Dodgers’ Death Star rotation is beyond these two aces

While he and Yamamoto grab the headlines, the talent doesn’t stop there.

Lefty Blake Snell has a 3-0 record with an ERA of 2.89 and 22 strikeouts in 3 appearances since August 31, 2025. Obviously, we can’t forget the living legend, Clayton Kershaw, who has been a steady veteran presence all over in his final season. On top of that, young arms like Emmet Sheehan emerged remarkably with a 6-3 record and an ERA of 2.86 with 86 strikeouts.

But for every bit of confidence the starting rotation provides, the bullpen has been the polar opposite. Their collective ERA ranks near the bottom, with 26 blown saves. The struggles are partly due to performance and partly due to a string of injuries. Closer Tanner Scott has blown 10 saves, and veteran Blake Treinen has taken the loss in five of the team’s last seven defeats. And injuries to key arms like Kirby Yates and Evan Phillips decimated the unit. 

So, how have the Dodgers clinched the division with such a shaky bullpen?

The answer is offense. They are second in MLB in runs scored with 811 and in home runs with 239. Leading the charge is Shohei Ohtani, who is having another MVP-caliber season with 54 home runs while driving in 101 runs. First baseman Freddie Freeman leads the team with a .293 average, and Mookie Betts has once again been remarkable after a deep slump.

But then again, LA’s division-clinching game showed that their bullpen is also shaping up, with Roki Sasaki delivering his expected near-100mph ball. And in the playoffs, we can expect Kershaw to be a part of the pen, too.

In the end, maybe both Sean Casey and Shohei Ohtani are right. Yamamoto, with his 30 starts and 173.2 innings, is the classic “staff ace” who carried the team all season, and Ohtani, with his video-game stuff and advanced stats, is the “true ace,” the ultimate weapon you unleash in a must-win game.

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