President Donald Trump recently compared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to baseball legend Babe Ruth. Ohtani received high praise during the Dodgers’ visit to the White House, which took place on their day off during their East Coast road trip.

During the ceremony, Trump highlighted Ohtani’s historic achievements. He noted that the 2025 Dodgers season was unparalleled in Major League Baseball history. Ohtani became the only player to earn multiple unanimous league MVP awards.

The 2025 Dodger season was one for the record books in 150 years of Major League Baseball. No player has ever earned more than one unanimous league MVP, except for an international legend named Shohei Ohtani, Trump stated.

Ohtani, often called the “Japanese Babe Ruth,” has consistently set new standards in MLB. In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he hit 99 home runs, leading the National League with an OPS of 1.025. Though he skipped pitching in 2024 due to elbow surgery, he returned in 2025 to record a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, figures he also achieved in 2022 when leading the American League.

Trump continued his praise by referencing Babe Ruth. He labeled the trade of Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees as the worst in sports history.

Babe was 19 years old. They considered it the worst trade in the history of sports. I would say Babe will always say, ‘Take that.’ He was 19 and they got a 36-year-old third baseman and $100,000, so I would rate that pretty bad. They drafted him as a pitcher, but he did something very unusual. He led the league in home runs as a pitcher, Trump said, gesturing toward Ohtani.

Ohtani is playing impressively this year. He holds a .283 batting average with 22 home runs, 60 RBI, and six stolen bases in 94 games. On the mound, he maintains an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts, despite a recent missed start due to knee issues. Ohtani is poised to guide the Dodgers toward a third consecutive World Series title with his continued strong performance.

The Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays in seven games to secure their second straight World Series championship and ninth overall, as recognized during the ceremony.