Shohei Ohtani teases Yoshinobu Yamamoto with 2-word reaction on vintage modeling photo after 30th HR shoutout

Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto share a strong bond. The Japanese duo's friendship was on show after the three-time MVP teased the Dodgers hurler.

Japanese teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season and have often been seen sharing conversations and exchanging compliments.

After Ohtani struck his 30th home run of the season on Tuesday, Yamamoto gave a shoutout to the reigning National League MVP in an Instagram post. Yamamoto shared a graphic from the Dodgers in his Instagram story to acknowledge Ohtani's milestone.

His Japanese teammate responded by sharing a modeling picture of Yamamoto, seemingly teasing his compatriot with his Instagram story.

"That's cool," Shohei Ohtani captioned his post (translated from Japanese).

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Ohtani's 30th home run of the season came in a 6-1 win in the series opener against the Chicago White Sox. The Japanese phenom also has 10 steals and five triples this season, becoming the first MLB player to do so in five consecutive seasons.

Shohei Ohtani on the cusp of breaking another record

Ohtani's 30th home run on Tuesday meant he is only the second player in franchise history to reach that mark before the All-Star break. Cody Bellinger achieved the feat first for the Dodgers in his NL MVP-winning season in 2019.

Bellinger had 30 dingers in 88 games while Ohtani reached it in 84 games. The Japanese superstar has 11 more games to eclipse Bellinger's tally and set a new franchise record for most homers before the Midsummer Classic.

The three-time MVP was named as one of the starters for this year's All-Star game on Wednesday. He will be joining Dodgers teammates Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. Ohtani will lead the NL team while New York Yankees captain and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge will lead the AL.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash