March 21st will probably be recorded in baseball history as one of the most iconic days the sport has seen. The regular season hasn’t even started yet, and people are already hyped. The World Baseball Classic saw the thrilling culmination of a weeks-long tournament tonight. Team Japan Vs. team USA, Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout, and East against the West.

Both Trout and Ohtani are skilled players in their own right, but tonight, Sho-time won. A once-in-a-hundred-years type of talent, there is rarely anyone who can deny his talent. In fact, FOX Sports commentator Alex Rodriguez even compared him to a different legend. Rodriguez is an MLB veteran himself, a celebrated player, so his words definitely hold value.

Alex Rodriguez draws a Messi comparison for Shohei Ohtani

One doesn’t have to know football to know who Messi is. Even if they don’t know his numerous career distinctions, most people understand that he’s a big deal. The 35-year-old has revolutionized the sport of football and is considered the number one player in the world. One can say that, to think of Messi is to think of Argentina, which is exactly what A-Rod drew on.

Ohtani has been playing in MLB since 2018, and the WBC finally gave him a chance to represent his country again. After five long years, Sho-time headed home and brought a WBC trophy to Japan, establishing the country’s dominance in baseball forever.

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“We just had the World Cup in soccer, and when you look at Ohtani, I can’t help it but think about Messi and what he did with Argentina. That’s the only thing I can compare it to. Because that’s who Ohtani is to Japan, and to your point, he’s a global star and a winner in Major League Baseball that has this great asset,” Rodriguez commented.

A-Rod’s fellow analyst David Ortiz is excited about the upcoming season

Red Sox legend David Ortiz is a longtime friend of the former Yankee. The two also share a colleague status on FOX, and after the game, Ortiz also shared his opinions.

“We saw the best of the best. We saw the commitment coming from the fans, just like coming from the players, coming from MLB. I mean, everybody was into this so much that I think it’s gonna be a happy year in baseball,” he said.

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It’s certainly going to be an exciting year ahead!