Count Deion Sanders as impressed with the spectacular show that Shohei Ohtani staged in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.
“Can they just hand him the MVP during the game?” the Colorado Buffaloes coach said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.
Sanders was in awe after hearing the totality of the Los Angeles star’s performance as Ohtani threw six scoreless innings and struck out 10 while also hitting three homers to send the Dodgers back to the World Series.
“That is ridiculous, man,” Sanders said.
Best-ever performance, regardless of sport? Sanders wasn’t ready to definitively declare that.
“I’ve seen some wonderful things that have transpired in sports. It’s hard for me to say that, but that is unbelievable,” said Sanders, who played Major League Baseball while also embarking on a Hall of Fame football career. “He’s doing something that’s unfathomable.”
Sanders envisions Ohtani’s two-way exploits possibly paving the way for other baseball players to be allowed pitch and hit in a similar fashion. Maybe not to Ohtani’s level — he captured the NLCS MVP pretty much on Game 4 — but at least being given the chance.
It’s sort of like how Sanders empowered Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to play wide receiver and cornerback while at Colorado.
“There are many pitchers that can do both, but they’re never allowed to do so,” said Sanders, whose Buffaloes (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) return from a bye week and will play at Utah (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday night. “Because they put (players) in a pocket and say, ‘You just need to do that.’ So hopefully he opens the doors for others.”
Ohtani is the frontrunner to win a second straight NL MVP after a regular season in which he hit .282 with 55 homers and 106 RBIs. He also won the AL MVP in 2021 and ’23 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Sanders batted .263 with 39 homers, 168 RBIs and 186 stolen bases over his nine-year baseball career that spanned four teams. He remains the lone athlete to play in a World Series (with the Atlanta Braves) and a Super Bowl (San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys).
“It’s so funny because when I’m in the cafeteria, and the baseball games are on I’m thinking, ‘Dang, I really used to do that,’” Sanders said. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody’s throwing 95 (mph) and over now. Everybody’s launching bombs now. It’s unbelievable, man, what this game has gotten to. But I like it because it’s faster, it’s quicker.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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