Yankees Legend Couldn't Lie About His Feelings on Shohei Ohtani After Watching Him Hit

Yankees Legend Couldn't Lie About His Feelings on Shohei Ohtani After Watching Him Hit originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Throughout his 19-year career (2001 to 2019), pitcher CC Sabathia was an amazing player, and after his playing days were over, he was cemented in history forever, being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of course, after spending 11 years with the New York Yankees (2009 to 2019), he got to play with some special talents, including shortstop Derek Jeter, closing pitcher Mariano Rivera, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and even outfielder Aaron Judge.

However, even after sharing the field with so many greats, no one may receive as high praise from Sabathia as designated hitter and starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, as he revealed his thoughts after watching him hit for the first time.

“The very first time I seen Ohtani play, we were in Anaheim, and he hits a chopper to short and he beats it out, “Sabathia said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” And I looked at Luis Severino to my right, and I was like ‘that’s the best baseball player I’ve ever seen in my life.’ He’s the best baseball player.”

"That's the best baseball player I've ever seen in my life."

CC Sabathia describes his reaction to seeing Shohei Ohtani hit for the first time 🤯🔥@PatMcAfeeShowpic.twitter.com/HgnWH4Nf4T

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 14, 2025

Ohtani has certainly been impressive throughout his career so far, winning AL Rookie of the Year, earning five All-Star appearances, three Silver Sluggers, three MVP Awards (two AL and one NL) and helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 2024 World Series.

At just 31 years old, he is just the 12th player in league history to win the MVP at least three times, and with a .987 OPS (ranked third in MLB), he may be on track to win it yet again to conclude the 2025 season.

If he does come out on top, he would be just the second player to win the award three years in a row, joining Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, who achieved the feat from 2001 to 2004.

Of course, if he continues on this same path, there will be many other people who agree with Sabathia's original thoughts and consider Ohtani as one of, if not the best, player in the sport's history.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.