Former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough is no longer with the organization after becoming the manager of the Miami Marlins, but he leaves behind a strong footprint after being a part of the coaching staff that led the team to three 100-win seasons and a World Series title in the past four years.
McCullough was able to form a strong relationship with Shohei Ohtani despite only being his coach for one season. During Ohtani’s MVP-winning 2024 year, his .310 batting average and .390 on-base percentage gave him plenty of opportunities to interact with McCullough.
In fact, seeing Ohtani and McCullough side by side during a game was common thanks to his 98 singles and 81 walks on the season. It was such a regularity that their signature head bump when Ohtani reached first base safely became the subject of a piece of artwork given to McCullough.
During an appearance on “Foul Territory,” McCullough revealed the memento became even more special when Ohtani agreed to autograph it:
“I was certainly fortunate to be around Shohei and tried to not ask for a whole lot. But there was a really cool picture that someone had drawn of he and I, kind of doing that head bump at first base. This was after the regular season, and I asked him, would he mind signing that for me. He was gracious enough to do that. So that’s something that I’ll keep. It’s a cool picture.
McCullough also reflected on what it was like to be Ohtani’s coach during his historic 2024 season and how often it left him impressed:
“Got a chance to witness the historic season. There were times, he’s on your team and you’re trying to coach him, but at the same time there’s things that happen and you are a fan of baseball. There were a lot of wow moments. The 40-40 walk-off grand slam and then the 50-50 day in Miami. He had a real knack for those moments being there and to capitalize on it and make them memorable.”
McCullough’s focus now shifts to his managerial duties for the Marlins, where he will have his work cut out for him after their 62-100 record this past season and fire sale at the trade deadline. They still boast an impressive collection of young pitching talent, but not much outside of that.
Meanwhile, Ohtani’s generosity was previously seen with his gifting a Porsche to Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley, as a thank you for No. 17 with the Dodgers. Ohtani also purchased gifts for manager Dave Roberts during the season.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton McCullough grew friendship
While Ohtani put in endless work to steal a career-high 59 bases in 2024, and he was not alone as McCullough tried to assist him any way he could. Most of the off-the-field work came during film sessions as two studied to decipher between a pitcher’s delivery and pickoff move.
It was during this time that they formed a strong partnership, with each helping the other grow in their profession.
