Shohei Ohtani knows his first season wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform couldn't have ended any better.
"I'm honored to be able to be part of a season where we played the longest, and to be able to get to know this team," he said postgame, according to ASAP Sports transcripts. "My first year and experience winning a World Series has been a tremendous honor."
Ohtani joined the Dodgers on a 10-year deal in the offseason with aspirations of making his first playoff appearance. He ended up winning his first World Series.
Ohtani had his moments in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres before authoring an excellent NLCS versus the New York Mets. Although he was held quiet in the World Series, Ohtani did play through a dislocated shoulder.
"He earned even more respect from his teammates by playing with one arm," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
Ohtani's storybook season wasn't without off-field adversity.
The typically private star found himself mired in a public scandal in March when his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was caught stealing millions of dollars from him to pay off illegal gambling debts.
"We were able to get through the regular season, I think, because of the strength of this team, this organization," Ohtani said of overcoming adversity, per ASAP Sports.
"The success of the postseason is very similar to how we were able to pull it off during the regular season. Again, the strength of the organization. Extremely honored to be a part of this."
Ohtani hit .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases during a legendary campaign that'll almost certainly earn him National League MVP honors.
The 30-year-old owns a .945 OPS (157 OPS+) across seven MLB seasons.
