Boxer Mike Tyson presented the ESPY award for best single-game performance to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani on July 15. Just don’t ask him who Shohei Ohtani plays for, what sport he plays, or even apparently what gender Shohei Ohtani is.
After (somewhat) correctly pronouncing Ohtani’s name, Tyson turned to co-presented Logan Paul to make sure he got it right.
“Shohei could not be here tonight,” Tyson said. “He sends his gratitude and appreciation to ESPN and everyone who voted for him,” Paul said.
“Shohei’s a guy?” Tyson said, turning to Paul.
Tyson, 60, certainly would be forgiven for not following MLB on a regular basis. He sparred with Ted Barrett before Barrett became a major league umpire. Other than that, the Tyson/MLB concentric circles are separate.
It’s at least somewhat surprising that Ohtani’s name never reached Tyson’s ears. Ohtani is at least the game’s best player today, if not ever. His single-game performance against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series was one for the ages.
Ohtani threw six shutout innings against the Brewers as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, and went 3 for 3 with three home runs at the plate. Tyson said it himself: it was an award-winning performance.
The game basically clinched the NLCS MVP Award for Ohtani. Now it’s been honored across multiple sports.
Ohtani was also nominated for the ESPY award for best male athlete, an honor which might convince Tyson of Ohtani’s gender once and for all.
Baseball players rarely attend the ESPYs ceremony to receive their awards in person. The ceremony is traditionally held during MLB’s All-Star break, giving ESPN the night’s major live sports programming all to itself, but making it hard for the top MLB stars to attend.
Ohtani at least had no obvious prior obligations. He did not attend All-Star festivities in Philadelphia because of a irritation in his left knee. Perhaps he and Tyson can schedule a gentleman’s handshake down the road.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 03: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on July 03, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) GettyTORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 24: Manager Dave Roberts #30 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on before game one of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 3: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on May 3, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) Getty
The absolute best baseball players in the world will take the field on Tuesday night in Citizens Bank Park for the 96th Midsummer Classic presented by Mastercard, but perhaps Major League Baseball’s BIGGEST star is nowhere to be found.
So, why isn’t Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (and two-way star) not participating in the 2026 MLB All-Star game? The National League’s manager is Dave Roberts, and the Dodgers are being treated like royalty for this event due to being the reigning, defending World Series champions. Well, turns out that baseball’s best player right now needs some rest, too, and Ohtani’s lingering (also very ominous) knee injury is keeping him away from All-Star game festivities. The 96th edition of the All-Star game is Tuesday, July 14 @ 8:00 p.m. on FOX.
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Shohei Ohtani Dealing with Knee Injury
GettyTORONTO, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 24: Manager Dave Roberts #30 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on before game one of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The main reason that Shohei Ohtani is not playing in the MLB All-Star game is due to an ongoing knee injury that caused him to miss his last scheduled start.
Dave Roberts was clear months ago that ‘Unicorn’ Ohtani would not be pitching in the ASG, but then further news broke this past week that Shohei Ohtani would be missing the game altogether.
âShohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on the mound this evening against the D-backs due to continued irritation in his left knee. He will serve as the designated hitter the rest of the weekend, but following the series against the D-backs he will have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season. Unfortunately, due to these events, he will not be able to travel to Philadelphia and participate in the 2026 All-Star Game.â
Shohei Ohtani was named to his sixth straight All-Star game, and is usually the star of the ‘Sho’ whenever he steps on the field, so there will obviously be a big void when the starters are announced, and he’s not out there. Ohtani is batting .293 this season over 88 games with 22 home runs, 58 RBI, 65 runs scored, and a monster OPS+ of 161. That’s not even including his pitching stats, either, which are incredible in their own right.
To make things even more ominous about Ohtani’s injury is the fact all reports suggest that he will play for the Dodgers in the first series out of the break, against the New York Yankees. Perhaps he really just needs this time off, which the Dodgers seem to be very obliged to allow him to have.
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – MAY 3: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on May 3, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (to the shock of nobody) were awarded six total reps (including Ohtani) for the 2026 MLB All-Star game. Four (also including Ohtani) were named starters (Max Muncy, 3B, Freddie Freeman, 1B, Andy Pages, CF).
Manager Dave Roberts commented on the plethora of Dodgers representation:
“It’s the first time in a long time that we’ve had four starters, as far as position players, start the All-Star Game, so that was great,” said manager Dave Roberts.
It’s the seventh straight All-Star game with at least five Dodgers players, which highlights the organization’s dominance over the past decade.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will once again be one of the most heavily represented teams at the Midsummer Classic, sending a star-studded group to the 2026 MLB All-Star Game as they continue to pace the National League.
The defending World Series champions have six All-Stars heading to Philadelphia: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Justin Wrobleski.
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Ohtani, Freeman, Muncy, and Pages were voted into the National League starting lineup, while Yamamoto earned a pitching selection after another dominant first half. Wrobleski was later added as a replacement, giving the Dodgers one of the largest All-Star contingents in baseball.
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The Dodgers enter the All-Star break with the best record in Major League Baseball, and their strong showing in Philadelphia reflects another impressive first half on both sides of the ball. With multiple starters taking the field and manager Dave Roberts leading the National League, Los Angeles will once again have a major presence on baseball’s biggest summer stage before turning its focus to another postseason run.
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The Detroit Tigers have played much better baseball recently to climb back into the American League playoff chase. It will still take some doing for the team to overcome a dreadful start and get into the postseason. Not many people believe that the reigning American League Cy Young winner will be around to see if the Tigers can accomplish that because is is clearly the most coveted commodity for other teams as the MLB trade deadline nears. Even though Skubal has made it clear that he wants to stick around the Motor City for at least a little longer.
We’ll soon have resolution on his immediate future. And whichever franchise gets to send him out to the mound every five days will be thrilled. He’s a fan favorite in Detroit despite all the drama of the last several months and if he got a new home, those fans would go berserk.
Skubal at the trade deadline
ESPN’s baseball insider Jeff Passan added his insight into the biggest trade deadline character and question on Monday’s “Get Up”, along the way revealing which team is most likely to acquire his services.
“If there’s a team that’s gonna go get Tarik SKubal, … it is the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Passan said.
Such a development would not sit well with 29 other fanbases. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 61-36 and are seeking their third straight World Series. Throw a dart at their roster and it’s likely to hit an All-Star.
“They can pretty much do what they want at this point,” Passan said before pointing out that the team has been active and not so active during previous trade deadlines during their dynastic run.
Skubal’s future
Look, I’m a Tigers fan and believe Skubal is going to stay in Detroit. But if he does land with the Dodgers, crushing my team’s hopes and only making Los Angeles more of a wagon, then so be it. The Dodgers can do pretty much anything they want at this point and still win a World Series. It’s downright scary to think of how many of those they could string together if they got Skubal’s services for years to come.
The reason there’s no reason to let what the Dodgers do get under your skin is because it’s so competent. It feels like an overwhelming majority of sports fans spend their lives decrying local ownership and all the boneheaded decisions that are made. We suffer because organizations can’t figure it out and never put a premium on winning. So why be made at the one who has perfected it?
Of course that’s easy for me to say now. Check back a few hours after Skubal to the Dodgers becomes a reality and you’ll likely find a broken man.
The Dodgers have looked like a shell of themselves over the last three games, seemingly suffering from a lack of focus with the All-Star break so close.
Also, LA is ahead in the division by more than 10 games, giving them a cushion to breathe and not push too hard.
On Sunday, the Dodgers took a 5-3 loss despite leading for most of the game, until two bad innings of errant pitching and defensive mistakes.
Jul 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
The Dodgers have definitely made the most of their lead, taking their foot off the gas to lose 23-8 combined against Arizona.
What has gone wrong for the Dodgers?
Just about everything that can go wrong has for the Dodgers during their last series of the first half of the season.
The Dodgers made multiple errors during the series, and the pitching was lackluster from both the bullpen and the rotation, while the offense failed to put together sustained stretches of offense.
Andy Pages made an error that he usually never makes on a fly ball, while Max Muncy has continued a stretch where he makes the wrong read defensively.
The team had three hits on Sunday and six on Saturday, with most of the runs coming from home runs rather than the sustained pressure the team usually applies.
Among other strengths, the Dodgers have been really good at moving on from bad games — the main reason for their lack of sweep up until now — but for the first time all year, they failed to get past a rough game or two.
Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) stands in the dugout prior to a game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images
Who played well for the Dodgers?
Shohei Ohtani, even with some knee discomfort lingering in the background, had a good series.
He hit two home runs, went four-for-11 from the plate, and looked good swinging the bat and making plate appearances.
Additionally, Emmet Sheehan had a good start, allowing just one earned run in a 5.1 innings-pitched start. He got seven strikeouts, allowed one walk, and allowed only three hits.
The Dodgers do not play a game until Friday, when they host the New York Yankees in a blockbuster series.
They will need this week to get things ironed out, reset, and get healthy for the big sprint in the second part of July.
A second Los Angeles Dodgers player has revealed he will not visit the White House with the team on July 23. Four-time World Series champion and shortstop Mookie Betts said he will skip the team’s visit but explained his decision was not related to politics.
Jul 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) looks on in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Instead, Betts wants to utilize that off day to spend time with his family. Betts and his wife, Brianna, welcomed their second daughter and third child, Khari, to the family in April. Betts said his family will be joining him on the roadtrip, so he wants to take advantage of the off day.
“I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal,” Betts said, per the California Post. “We just had a baby. You don’t get many days off. They’re coming [on the road trip]. And just want to hang out with the fam. That’s really kind of it. But people are gonna make it a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Which Other Player is Missing the Visit?
Utility man Kiké Hernández also announced he will not visit the White House with the team later this month. He said he will be on a rehab assignment during that time as he looks to return from the injured list soon.
Apr 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Kike Hernandez (8) fields a ground ball in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
However, Hernández said he still probably would not attend the White House even if he was healthy.
Both Betts and Hernández have explained how visiting the White House is often a lose-lose situation for the players. Betts has visited the White House twice but skipped the visit after his first World Series victory with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.
Betts later decided to visit the White House in 2020 and 2024 with the Dodgers because he felt skipping the visit was a distraction to the team. Hernández also visited the White House in 2024.
“If I do [go], people are gonna hate me. If I don’t, people are gonna hate me,” Betts said, per the California Post. “So instead of trying to make everyone else happy, I’m gonna think about myself and my family.”
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