Southern California sports royalty met up on Monday when Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani had a photo op with Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink shared by the team:
Naturally, fans of both the Dodgers and Sparks are going crazy.
SouthpawTodd – “Now thats a power photo!”
leohn2303 – “Ao beautiful bro and sis Dodgers”
Noweez – “Is she wearing heels, cuz they should be the same height lol”
Wagon – “best image i have ever seen”
That Dodger Life – “Glad she got to meet him. She seemed genuinely excited at the chance in her interview with Kirsten.”
gabb – “this might be the best collab of the szn so far omg”
Jason Coskrey – “New Balance has Cameron Brink, Shohei Ohtani and Kawhi Leonard. Owning LA.”
Brink was at the Dodgers game to throw out the first pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night after being drafted by the Sparks with the second overall pick in the WNBA Draft last month.
At Stanford, Brink's impact was immediate. Her freshman year culminated in a national championship, a testament to her impactful play. By her sophomore season, her stature as a player had grown, sharing Pac-12 Player of the Year honors and further solidifying her defensive prowess with a Stanford all-time lead in blocks.
By her senior season, with averages of 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and an impressive 3.7 blocks per game, Brink's capability as not just a scorer but a multidimensional player was undisputed (h/t Gilbert McGregor of The Sporting News). Her honors, including a second Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, only tell part of the story of a player whose defensive acumen and offensive growth have been a marvel to watch.
The Dodgers star may be familiar with Brink due to an association with women's hoops. This offseason, Ohtani announced that he got married to Japanese professional basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.
Dodgers continue their winning ways as Ohtani walks it off
Ohtani delivered his second major league walk-off hit Sunday, a two-out single in the 10th inning that sent the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Andy Pages hit an early two-run homer for the Dodgers, who have won 20 of 26 after taking three of four from Cincinnati.
Pinch-hitter Will Smith drew a one-out walk in the 10th from Alexis Díaz, who got Mookie Betts to fly out before Ohtani laced a single to right, scoring Jason Heyward. Ohtani's latest feat set off a loud celebration for another huge weekend crowd at Dodger Stadium, and the two-time AL MVP's teammates soaked him with water in celebration.
“I was looking to just put the ball in play, so I’m glad it worked out well,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “We dropped the first game of the series, so we really wanted to finish strong.”
Ohtani's only other walk-off hit was an 11th-inning single for the Los Angeles Angels in a 6-5 win over Houston on Sept. 4, 2020.
