Shohei Ohtani is not known for his animated celebrations, which made his reaction to a dramatic home run during Friday’s game particularly noteworthy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star hit a three-run home run in the top of the 9th against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Az. on Friday. The home run broke an 11-11 tie, and Ohtani celebrated it by flipping his bat and raising both arms in the air.
The celebration was unusual from Ohtani, whose reactions to home runs, even in big moments, tend to be more muted. Chad Moriyama of Dodgers Digest put together a video demonstrating that Ohtani’s celebration was almost identical to how Arizona outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reacted after hitting a game-tying grand slam in the 5th inning of the same game.
I'm not saying that's what it is, but probably impossible to not notice their celebrations, lol. Life comes at you fast, eh? https://t.co/c0yHI1eAbe pic.twitter.com/lcW4FxnOi8
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) May 10, 2025
Ohtani showing up an opponent? Rare, to say the least. In the past, the Dodgers have used Ohtani-themed celebrations, but those were actually making fun of him and had nothing to do with their opponents.
Obviously, Ohtani made no allusion to Gurriel or the Diamondbacks after the win. He simply said it was a “very emotional” win and did not expound any further.
There is no clear reason why Ohtani would single out Gurriel or the Diamondbacks, but the two are division rivals and Friday’s game was a dramatic back-and-forth affair. It may have simply felt right to him in the moment, and it’s tough to argue that he did not earn the right to gloat a little bit.
