Trump suddenly asked: Who is the better pitcher between Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto? Both pointed at each other.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who achieved back-to-back World Series championships last year by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in a seven-game series, made a trip to the White House today (July 24, Beijing time) on their rest day for recognition, meeting President Donald Trump for the second consecutive year. This White House visit included Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. The team's star shortstop Mookie Betts did not attend, choosing to spend the off day with his family, though he had visited the White House with the team last year. The ceremony took place at the White House Rose Garden, where Trump, in a roughly 25-minute speech, praised the Dodgers as "one of the most iconic brands in the world" and expressed hope for a three-peat. He also playfully asked, "Who is the better pitcher, Ohtani or Yamamoto?" drawing laughter from the crowd.

When reviewing the Dodgers' championship journey, Trump specifically highlighted Yamamoto's energetic pitching performance in Game 6 of the World Series, which helped the team extend the series and force a decisive Game 7. Trump then turned to shake hands with Yamamoto, shifted his gaze to Ohtani, and jokingly asked, "You two, who is the better pitcher? Tell me."

This unexpected question immediately sparked laughter. Ohtani and Yamamoto exchanged a knowing smile before simultaneously pointing at each other, showing remarkable默契. Manager Dave Roberts, standing nearby, couldn't help but clap and burst into laughter at the clever response from his two star players.

Beyond the playful interaction, Trump gave Ohtani the highest praise. Recalling Ohtani's phenomenal performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers last year—where he pitched six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and hit three home runs in a single game—Trump said, "I thought to myself, 'That's the greatest game I've ever seen from a single player,' because you were both pitching and hitting."

Trump further stated, "In the 150-year history of Major League Baseball, no player other than this international legend named Shohei Ohtani has ever received more than one unanimous MVP award. He has earned unanimous MVP honors three years in a row and set a new franchise record with 55 home runs. If someone told me a player could be both the best pitcher and the best hitter at the same time, even Babe Ruth only came close to doing that."

Trump noted, "They originally trained Ruth as a pitcher, but he accomplished something very rare—becoming the home run king while being a pitcher." At this point, Trump gestured toward Ohtani.

The report mentioned that Ohtani, often called the "Japanese Babe Ruth," is the only player in MLB history to have recorded over 300 plate appearances and more than 40 innings pitched in the same season six times. Babe Ruth only achieved that feat twice in his career and never had a single season with 50 stolen bases.

After the ceremony, the Dodgers team toured the Oval Office and received commemorative challenge coins featuring the presidential seal from Trump. The Dodgers organization also prepared a special gift for Trump—a custom World Series championship ring and a Dodgers jersey with his name and the number "47" on the back—marking the perfect end to their White House visit.