‘It Looks Like He Had Never Drank Before’: Shohei Ohtani’s World Series Tequila Shot Took ‘A Lot of Convincing’ From Jack Flaherty

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the locker room after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (Photo: AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Following their heated Game 5 victory in the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers partook in enough drinking, dancing and confetti blasts to wake up the entire state of California.

No moment captured the mood better than a clip of Shohei Ohtani struggling to down a sip of tequila during a raucous victory parade. Onlookers shouted “MVP!” as pitcher Jack Flaherty handed his teammate a bottle — from the looks of Ohtani’s reaction, it wasn’t quite to his liking.

During an appearance on the “Run It Back” podcast, Flaherty was asked by hosts Lou Williams and Chandler Parsons to give some backstory for the viral moment. Parsons commented with a smirk and laugh that Ohtani looked “like he never drank before.”

On the contrary, Flaherty insisted that Ohtani had imbibed in the past, even if he needed a little convincing from his teammates.

“After every series that we won, we would take a tequila shot as a team,” Flaherty said. “It was always time for a shot, but I was always next to Sho and we would take our tequila shot together. It took a lot of convincing that day to get him to do it and eventually he finally did.”

some more flaretani to brighten your day a little bit https://t.co/hEHp08R7fT pic.twitter.com/VASEpGYtyj

— sara (@dodgerblued) November 7, 2024

Though it’s difficult to tell from the footage, it appears that the players were drinking straight from a bottle of Casa Azul Blanco, a brand stuffed to the brim with A-list athlete investors. Among others, Casa Azul (not to be confused with Clase Azul) has inked co-signs from Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, former tight end Rob Gronkowski, PGA champion Brooks Koepka and U.S. Women’s Open Champion Michelle Wie West. The company was founded in 2022 by self-described “serial beverage entrepreneur” Lance Collins, who also had a hand in creating NOS Energy Drink and CORE Water.

It wasn’t the only tequila that Ohtani and Flaherty would get their hands on by night’s end.

Following the Victory Parade, pitcher Walker Buehler surprised his teammates and coaches with a round of Casamigos toasting the festivities. These were special bottles for a special occasion — each featured a custom label imagined in the likeness of a baseball alongside a “World Series Champions 2024” logo. Buehler told People Magazine that Casamigos hooked him up with the goodies, an approach the brand has taken several times before with TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

Buehler holding a custom-inscribed bottle of Casamigos Cristalino. (Photo: Casamigos)

Whether or not Ohtani will put the gift to use is yet to be seen. The superstar has remarked several times in the past that he doesn’t drink or smoke, sometimes to comedic effect. In May, reporter Kirsten Watson asked Dodgers players what their favorite type of margarita was.  Mookie Betts said strawberry while Kike Hernandez chimed in with spicy cucumber. Ohtani simply responded “pizza.”

Whatever his opinions on alcohol may be, Ohtani can’t seem to catch a break from the boozy attention.

During his tenure with the Angels, Ohtani famously knocked a foul ball straight into an advertisement for Coors Light. The hit knocked out an LED module and ignited a social media frenzy; within 48 hours, Coors Light rolled out a commemorative can featuring a black square mimicking the incident. It sold out within a day. The broken panel? Auctioned online for over $7,000.

Ohtani has since been dubbed an unofficial sponsor for the brand, despite the fact that — as we’re reminded to no avail — he doesn’t drink alcohol. We might still need some convincing on that.