Xander Bogaerts Excited To Be Teammates With Shohei Ohtani In All-Star Game

One of the reasons Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game is so great is because fans get to see some of the best talent be teammates for a night.

Xander Bogaerts seems to agree.

The Boston Red Sox shortstop is participating in his third Midsummer Classic, and will be on the same team as Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani, who began Tuesday’s game on the mound and served as the American League’s leadoff hitter.

Bogaerts and Ohtani are bright talents at their respective positions, and both are having incredible seasons. But Bogaerts knows how important Ohtani is to the All-Star Game because what he’s doing has not been seen since Babe Ruth.

“It’s fun. We just played him also and he pitched against us, he hit a homer against us. He pretty much did everything in that series that we had (against the Angels),” Bogaerts told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal prior to first pitch. “And obviously he’s a big part of this All-Star Game.”

Ohtani lasted one inning and did not surrender a hit, walk or run.