Shohei Ohtani's monster 2021 season ain't just bringing awareness to MLB nationally ... the Angels superstar is opening eyes across the GLOBE -- so says Rick Ankiel.
The former St. Louis Cardinals star -- who was the last MLB player before Ohtani to have huge success as both a hitter and pitcher -- broke it all down for TMZ Sports this week ... explaining Shohei is just that electric.
"Look, there’s nothing the guy can’t do on a baseball field," said Ankiel, who Ohtani just passed on the all-time MLB home run leaderboard.