Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to a second consecutive World Series last night, in historic fashion. In 2017, Jon Wertheim met Ohtani in Sapporo, and got to know Japan's most fearsome pitcher and most prolific hitter.

Tokyo

Shohei Ohtani, renowned for his rare ability to excel as both a pitcher and a hitter, is preparing for another appearance in the World Series. Ohtani's disciplined approach to the game and willingness to take advice from coaches have been evident since his early days in Japan, where his father coached his Little League teams. Despite initially drawing more attention as a pitcher, Ohtani was given the opportunity to pursue both pitching and hitting professionally by the Nipponham Fighters, a decision that shaped his unique career.

Ohtani's achievements have led to comparisons with baseball legend Babe Ruth, though Ohtani himself remains humble about such parallels. He credits the Fighters for supporting his dual-role ambitions and expresses a deep respect for the history of the sport. As Ohtani heads back to the World Series, his journey continues to inspire fans and players alike.

Phenom Shohei Ohtani headed back to World Series

Even from a distance, plenty of observations can be made about the pitching slugger, or the slugging pitcher. He is meticulous, stopping mid-pitch to adjust his form, open to advice from his batting coaches. Even baseball tedium provides a source of enjoyment. This is someone who plays baseball, but has always worked at it too. Shohei Ohtani grew up in a small industrial town on Japan's mainland. His father, once an amateur player himself, coached his son's Little League teams. Shohei Ohtani showed promise as a hitter, but drew more interest as a pitcher, occasioning stealth visits from American scouts while he was still in high school. At age 18, he held a press conference to announce his Major League intentions, and went so far as to tell Japanese teams not to draft him. But the Nipponham fighters, again known for doing things their own way, drafted him nonetheless. Every other team besides the fighters was looking at me as a pitcher. But the fighters were going to allow me to do both pitching and hitting. Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about doing both on a professional level. But they approached me in that way, and I wanted to take the chance. True to their word, the fighters have cultivated Ohtani as a hitter as well as a pitcher. We asked him about his forebear. People have compared you to Babe Ruth. What do you think about when you hear the name Babe Ruth? He's like a mythical character to me, because it's such a long time ago, and he was God to baseball. I shouldn't be compared to him, at least not right now.

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Breakdown