Athletics’ Brent Rooker Wants To Meet Shohei Ohtani in All-Star To Tell Him How He Bested Him Once

Shohei Ohtani is getting bigger and bigger by the day, and only a few people can say that they went toe to toe with the Japanese baseball sensation.

Oakland Athletics star Brent Rooker is planning to tell him that come the All-Star festivities this month.

Rooker is Athletic's lone All-Star this season, and the veteran outfielder is ready to make the most of the festivity.

Talking to NBCS, the 28-year-old said he is planning to approach the Los Angeles Angels two-way player and this year's top vote-getter to tell him about the time he once bested him on the field.

"So there's a really cool picture of me hitting a homer off Shohei in Anaheim, and I'm going to approach him very humbly and try to get him to sign it because I think that is something I would love to have forever," he said.

Rooker is talking about the April 27 game between the As and the Angels, wherein he connected with the ball that Ohtani threw.

His hit went to the right-field wall, resulting in three homers that cut the Angels' 5-0 lead to two.

Rooker did not expect All-Star selection

The Oakland Athletics are not doing well in the standings, but Rooker's selection did not surprise many. His manager Mark Kotsay attested to the hard work put in by his player to become qualified for such an honor.

"He was one of the hottest hitters for a month's time frame, and it led to the players rightfully honoring him," Kotsay said.

"The perseverance and grit that it took for Rook to get to where he's at right now, he's emotional about it, as he should be."