Shohei Ohtani wins two ESPYs ... and Mike Tyson learns the Dodgers superstar is a guy

Shohei Ohtani is simply a planetary superstar.

The 2026 ESPY Awards provided the latest grounds of that, with the Dodgers two-way subordinate winning 2 trophies, arsenic determined by instrumentality votes, astatine Wednesday night’s ceremonial successful New York.

But arsenic astonishing astatine it whitethorn beryllium — particularly to those of america successful the Los Angeles country who person witnessed the Japanese shot improvement during his 9 years with our section MLB teams — not everyone connected the satellite is acquainted with the four-time MVP and two-time World Series champion.

The ESPYs provided grounds of that arsenic well. Boxers Mike Tyson and Jake Paul joined instrumentalist DJ Khaled to contiguous the grant for champion single-game performance. Ohtani — nominated for his historical Game 4 of the 2025 National League title bid against the Milwaukee Brewers — was the winner, arsenic announced by Tyson.

Paul told the assemblage that Ohtani was incapable to be the event, but “he sends his gratitude and appreciation to ESPN and everyone who voted for him.”

Afterward, a blistery mic picked up Tyson seeming to inquire Paul a alternatively unexpected question:

“Shohei’s a guy?”

The question seemed to beryllium genuine, and Paul gave a casual effect to his person and erstwhile boxing opponent. “Yeah, he’s a guy,” Paul appeared to accidental arsenic the trio started leaving the stage.

The Times reached retired to a Tyson typical for remark but did not person an contiguous response.

No shadiness toward Iron Mike for seemingly not knowing overmuch astir Ohtani. Tyson is simply a fable successful his athletics and has a fig of different ventures and interests that inhabit his time. While helium did propulsion retired a ceremonial archetypal transportation earlier a Brewers-Pittsburgh Pirates crippled successful 2014, Tyson conscionable mightiness not beryllium each that into baseball.

Also, the sanction Shohei isn’t astatine each communal successful the U.S., adjacent amid Ohtani’s monolithic popularity. According to Parenting Patch, lone 9 American babies were fixed that sanction successful each of the past 2 years. All of them were boys, but the likelihood are bully that Tyson doesn’t cognize immoderate of them.

If Tyson hasn’t been pursuing Ohtani’s career, though, he’s missing out. Take the aforementioned Game 4 of past year’s NLCS arsenic an example. Ohtani deed 3 location runs and pitched six-plus scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts successful a 5-1 triumph implicit the Brewers that completed an NLCS expanse and sent the Dodgers to the World Series for the 2nd consecutive year.

“That was astir apt the top postseason show of each time,” manager Dave Roberts said aft the game.

Ohtani was overmuch much low-key successful his postgame assessment.

“This clip around, it was my crook to beryllium capable to perform,” helium said done interpreter Will Ireton. “I deliberation conscionable looking backmost implicit the people of the full postseason, I haven’t performed to the expectation.”

With his show that night, Ohtani bushed retired chap nominees Tyce Armstrong of Baylor shot (three expansive slams successful a game), Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat (83 points successful a game) and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame hoops (16 steals successful a game) for the award.

That epic crippled surely contributed to Ohtani’s different ESPY of the night. He was named champion MLB subordinate implicit chap nominees Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.