{"id":19694,"date":"2025-01-16T08:11:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T08:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19694"},"modified":"2025-01-16T08:11:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T08:11:36","slug":"dodgers-star-didnt-want-to-bat-leadoff-before-2024-season-says-dave-roberts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19694","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers Star Didn\u2019t Want to Bat Leadoff Before 2024 Season, Says Dave Roberts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"May<\/picture><\/figure>\n
May 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is greeted at the plate by second baseman Miguel Rojas (11), shortstop Mookie Betts (50) and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) after hitting a grand slam home run in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images \/ Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract, manager Dave Roberts faced the challenge of assembling a top third of the lineup featuring three MVPs.<\/p>\n

Rather than making the decision himself, Roberts allowed the players to decide. He revealed how the conversation went with his three stars with\u00a0Japanese Hideki Kuriyama of Hochi News.\u00a0The interview was translated from Japanese to English via Google.<\/p>\n

“We called the three of them into the manager’s office at the same time and talked with just the four of us,” Roberts said. “Mookie (Betts) said, ‘I want to bat first or second.’ Shohei said, ‘I don’t care.’ Freddie (Freeman) said, ‘I don’t want to bat only first.’ So we told them that Mookie would be No. 1, Shohei would be No. 2, and Freddie would be No. 3.”<\/p>\n

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