Shohei Ohtani is crushing it, but Barry Bonds says hitting was tougher in his day
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani might be dominating MLB right now, but baseball’s all-time home run king thinks today’s hitters have it easier than he did.
Barry Bonds didn’t hold back on the “All The Smoke” podcast when asked about the differences between eras.
“The game has just changed,” Bonds said. “The game is way different than it was when I played.”
He did give Ohtani his flowers first, though.
“The pitching and hitting has been outstanding for what he’s done,” Bonds said. “Baserunning. He’s a complete player. There’s no doubt about the type of player he is and what he’s accomplished in his career.”
But then came the real talk.
According to Bonds, Ohtani wouldn’t have gotten away with hitting multiple homers in one game back in the day without facing some serious consequences.
“Ohtani is not gonna hit two home runs without seeing one go by his ear in my generation. I don’t care what he does.”
It wasn’t just about the pitches near the head. Bonds claims baserunners faced physical punishment too.
“He’s not gonna steal two bases without someone decapitating his kneecap to slow him down. It’s a different game back then.”
The home run celebration culture has changed dramatically as well. Today’s players can flip bats and celebrate without fear of retaliation.
“They should be better than us hitting-wise because they can hit a home run, throw their bat up in the air, run around, get a taco, come back down and have a limo drive them around,” Bonds said.
He couldn’t imagine doing anything similar during his playing days.
“If I did anything like that, I’m gonna see a star. I’m gonna see a hospital, but I ain’t gonna see baseball that day.”
Bonds also pointed out that modern players get way more batting practice than previous generations. “These guys hit more than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” he noted.
The good news for Bonds? His record of 762 career home runs still seems pretty safe.
Even with all these supposed advantages, Ohtani still needs 537 more homers to catch the all-time leader. That’s a mountain to climb for any hitter, no matter how talented.
