Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are off to a red-hot start, and their superstar, Shohei Ohtani, is not only powering wins on the field—he’s also setting trends in the dugout and on the basepaths.
After blasting a walk-off home run against the Atlanta Braves, Ohtani rounded the bases with a curious gesture: he ran his fingers across his face. At first glance, it looked like a simple move, but Dodger fans quickly caught the inside joke. The celebration is actually a hilarious nod to one of Ohtani’s Japanese skincare commercials, where he glides a lotion bottle across his face in dramatic fashion.
Apparently, the ad has become the stuff of legend in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Ohtani’s teammates have been teasing him about it, and as only a good teammate would, he’s fully embraced the joke. After the team stormed back from a five-run deficit to win the game, Shohei decided to celebrate with his now-signature “skincare swipe.”
After Ohtani introduced it in the Atlanta game, it’s caught on like wildfire. Yoshinobu Yammamoto pulled the move in the dugout to razz Shohei about it. And, in the Philadelphia series, Max Muncy pulled out the move after a couple of hits on Saturday. After a double, he added it as a little exclamation point on the “Freddie.”
It’s a perfect example of the good vibes in the Dodgers’ dugout right now. The team is having fun, they’re clicking on all cylinders, and they’re off to an amazing start of the season. With talent, chemistry, and now some hilarious skincare-inspired celebrations, this squad is must-watch baseball.
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