{"id":440889,"date":"2025-12-11T20:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440889\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T20:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:41:12","slug":"shohei-ohtani-made-very-big-contribution-to-help-dodgers-teammates-mother-battle-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440889\/","title":{"rendered":"Shohei Ohtani made ‘very big contribution’ to help Dodgers teammate’s mother battle cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Dodgers<\/a> are on the field, Shohei Ohtani<\/a> dominates the headlines with his base running, his slugging and his pitching. But off the field, his actions also resonate.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview<\/a> with Japanese media, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts<\/a> told a story of when the two-time World Series<\/a> champion helped relief pitcher Gus Varland<\/a>\u2019s mother get cancer treatment by making a \u201cvery, very big contribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cShohei does a lot of great things, but a lot of what he does is on the down low, quiet, so people don\u2019t talk about it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Varland made seven relief appearances with the Dodgers during the 2024 season \u2014 including pitching in the season-opening series in South Korea<\/a> against the San Diego Padres \u2014 and posted a 4.50 earned run average in six innings of work before he was designated for assignment in July of that year.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> Why Dodgers face a \u2018delicate\u2019 situation with their Japanese stars ahead of the WBC<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberts said he ran into Varland\u2019s mother during the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays because his brother, Louis, pitched for them. Roberts said the mother told him she was cancer free.<\/p>\n

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After spending his first six major league seasons with the Angels<\/a>, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract<\/a> with the Dodgers. In November, he won his fourth MVP award in five seasons<\/a>, becoming the only player besides Barry Bonds to win it more than three times.<\/p>\n

Ohtani helped the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series title after hitting 55 homers with a batting average of .282 and an ERA of 2.87 in 2025.<\/p>\n

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.<\/a><\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n