Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani may be the face of baseball, but one of his National League West rivals seems to be taking their competition outside the foul lines.
San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. has been having some fun in the World Baseball Classic, especially during the press conferences.
On Monday, he picked up a bottle of Oi Ocha positioned near the microphones and pantomimed displaying it for the cameras alongside a “call me” gesture.
Perhaps it was just doing a funny bit as a joke, but if he seriously wants to be the face of the green tea beverage, he’ll be replacing the drink’s current global brand ambassador: Ohtani.
The Padres and Dodgers have had a heated rivalry over the past few years, with Tatis and Ohtani both being plunked in games.
Aug 23, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates as he scores as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) looks on during the eighth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Other Dodgers rivals haven’t been as cute with Oi Ocha product placement.
Tatis’ Team Dominican Republic teammates, Juan Soto of the New York Mets and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Bluer Jays, have hidden the bottles as they took the dais.
Both squads have had tension with the Dodgers in recent years.
Shohei Ohtani is an Endorsement Machine
Even if Tatis were somehow able to replace the face of baseball as Oi Ocha’s global brand ambassador, the Japanese superstar would probably be OK.
He’s still got numerous other deals, such as Seiko, which recently released a special edition watch in his honor.
He’s also deferred a massive amount of his $700 million contract, resulting in short-term underpayment that he’s offsetting with endorsements.
So even if he misses out on an endorsement or two now, he’s still got $680 million coming his way in roughly $68 million per year installments beginning in 2034.
Why is Ohtani Taking Deferred Payments?
In short, he’s trying to help the team be better.
After 2024, Ohtani said in an interview that the deferment plan had already paid off.
“It definitely was rewarding,” Ohtani told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “You know, Mark, Andrew, the owners, we all made a promise to each other that we would go out and create the best team to put out on the field. And we were able to win the World Series, so in that sense, we were able to keep our promise towards each other.”
LA Baseball Report
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