For Shohei Ohtani, this season has been absolute magic. A wild and unbelievable contract with one of the biggest franchises for a decade. And that was just the start. He ended up breaking baseball legends’ records. He opened the doors to the 50-50 club. Ohtani went on to clinch the World Series ring, in his first time ever in the playoffs. Plus, he also got the MVP award. But nothing compares to the real win this season – he and his better half Mamiko Tanaka are expecting their first child.

It’s a huge milestone for the couple and, well, maybe their biggest challenge too, given it is their first child. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts, Shohei’s teammate and a dad of two, is well aware of the challenges of parenthood. And hence, he couldn’t help but share some advice for Shohei Ohtani during his trip to Tokyo.

Mookie Betts’ priceless advice for Shohei Ohtani

Mookie Betts had a lot on his plate during his Japan trip. He made a trip to an elementary school. Then he had a quick chat with the media during a promotional event with a Japanese tea brand. There, someone asked if he had any advice for Shohei Ohtani for his fatherhood journey. Without hesitation, Betts exclaimed with a smile, “He should get his sleep now. Because when the baby comes, he won’t get any.”

Betts himself must have been through the experience. It is expected that he knows sleep becomes a luxury when the baby comes along. However, Betts didn’t stop at parenting tips only; he talked about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ latest add-on—Roki Sasaki, too. He has been getting a lot of attention for choosing LA in the first place. Betts, meanwhile, is impressed by the young phenom.

“Roki is really, really soft-spoken,” Mookie Betts mentioned, talking about Sasaki’s humble nature. He also shed light on the fact that Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s presence will make it easy for Sasaki to adapt to the American culture. He pointed out how excited he is to see Sasaki slowly come out of the shell, “I’m going to laugh and joke and get him to embrace the American culture.” Mookie mentioned that eventually, Sasaki would really develop into the “best pitcher on the planet.” Classic Betts!

Plus, for Shohei Ohtani, Betts couldn’t help but showcase his admiration. He referred to Japan’s icon as, “He’s like a god. His presence in the clubhouse—it’so important.” Meanwhile, Americans saw Sasaki’s shy nature that Mookie Betts mentioned clearly.

Roki Sasaki’s shyness at full display at Lakers game

Talk about a star-studded encounter! On January 21, Sasaki, the Japanese phenom and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ latest pitcher, was not in his baseball gear. He was seen on the front seats of an NBA game. And it’s not just the camera that spotted the 23-year-old; even NBA king himself, LeBron James, spotted the star.

So, as the Los Angeles Lakers prepped for their match against the Washingtonn Wizards, LeBron James, being the humble star he is, noticed the shy Roki Sasaki sitting upfront. And he went over to Sasaki. He then shook his hand and also embraced him warmly. Sasaki seemed to be in awe of the moment. He stood up respectfully and even chatted for a while with LeBron James.

Then the NBA icon went back to the pre-game prep, and Sasaki, clearly shy and starstruck went on watching LeBron prepping up. While we just thought the moment could not get any better, Sasaki was greeted by Rui Hachimura. He is a Japanese player on the Lakers. As for how the game went – it was unforgettable, and they went away with a a 111-88 victory over the Wizards. LeBron recorded a triple-double with 21 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. Everything seems so positive, isn’t it?

This was clearly a night to remember for Roki Sasaki. And well, no one can blame him for being starstruck! But do you think Sasaki is way too shy? Let’s have a talk over that, shall we!