Alex Rodriguez compares Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani to Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan

Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Ex-New York Yankee baseball legend-turned-businessman Alex Rodriguez sung praises on Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani while talking to students in Japan.

"Major League Baseball has been around for over 130 years, and the two members of that class are Shohei Ohtani and Babe Ruth," Rodriguez said Monday at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

"And that's it," he added.

After a shoulder injury during a game in October, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said at the time Ohtani was "in a great place" for New York's World Series game three after doctors cleared him to play in their victorious play against the Yankees.

"Think of a guy that is 6'4", is the fastest guy on the field, he's the biggest, he throws the fastest and can hit it the longest," the former Yankees star said at the embassy event for students called "Discussion with Alex Rodriguez."

In September, the superstar Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 or more home runs and steal 50 or more bases in the same season after he previously signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers before the season in what was the largest contract in sports history.

"People back in America said, 'Oh my gosh, that's so much money,'" Rodriguez, who once was the highest-paid MLB player with a $252 million contract in the 2000 season with the Texas Rangers, commented on regarding the large deal, Kyodo News reported.

Ohtani ended the 2024 regular season with 54 homers and 59 steals.

He was the odds-on favorite to win the National League MVP award after doing that as a member of the Los Angeles Angels last season and in 2021.

"The truth is it's been an incredible contract for the Dodgers, in which they've already made their money back and then some," he told about 100 university and graduate students.

September's game also marked the first time since at least 1901 that a Major League player had at least five hits, multiple home runs and multiple stolen bases in a single game.

On Monday, Rodriquez compared Ohtani to iconic basketball player Michael Jordan, saying Jordan's noted career "elevated the NBA" and the United States "to a level we've never seen before."

Earlier in this past season, on Aug. 23, the 30-year-old Ohtani became the fastest player in MLB history and sixth overall to reach the 40/40 mark with a stolen base and a walk-off grand slam in the Dodgers' 129th game of the season.

"What Shohei Ohtani has done is more than historic because it brings two countries in the world together," Rodriguez said.

"I think the same is true for Shohei Ohtani," A-Rod said of his Jordan comparison.