LOS ANGELES -- A first car is a rite of passage for many people. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts ensured that the newest member of the Ohtani family would have a sweet set of wheels once she's ready to hit the road.
In a video shared by the Dodgers, Roberts presented Shohei Ohtani with a new car for his infant daughter -- well, sort of. The vehicle in question was a child-sized ride-on car with a remote control. Fittingly, it was a pink Porsche.
"That was a present from me and my wife to Shohei's baby," Roberts said before Wednesday's game against the Mets. "We have a little running practical joke situation going on, but this was a gift for the baby."
Ohtani and Roberts have a history of car-related pranks. It began when Ohtani promised his manager a car after breaking the Dodgers' franchise record for home runs by a Japanese-born player -- a record that Roberts held until last May.
Ohtani made good on his word by gifting Roberts … a toy Porsche, a callback to when Ohtani gifted Joe Kelly's wife a real Porsche in exchange for the reliever's No. 17 not long after he signed with the Dodgers.
The pranks continued in Spring Training, when Ohtani left another toy Porsche in Roberts' parking spot at Camelback Ranch. The manager got his revenge, though, filling Ohtani's car with a multitude of colorful plastic balls (much to the delight of Ohtani's beloved dog, Decoy).
Ohtani and Roberts declared the score settled after that last prank, which might be why Ohtani looked a tad apprehensive when he walked into Roberts' office, only to be greeted by the manager saying, "I have a gift for you -- actually, for your daughter." Ohtani broke into a big smile once he realized what was going on.
"This is a little bit of a joke," Roberts said in the video, "but it's a sincere joke for Shohei's daughter."
Ohtani thanked Roberts, then with a surreptitious look toward the camera, referenced the back-and-forth between the two of them.
"I thought I'm in trouble," Ohtani said before bursting into laughter.
With the gesture, Roberts renewed the prank war -- albeit in a very wholesome way. Now, we wait to see if Ohtani will find a way to respond in kind.