10 Things You Might Not Know About MLB Superstar Shohei Ohtani

According to The Ringer, Ohtani attracted the attention of MLB scouts in 2012 when he set a Japanese high school record by throwing a 99.4-mph pitch for Hanamaki Higashi High School. Ohtani originally wanted to sign with an MLB organization out of high school but instead started his career with Japan’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013.

Ohtani’s high school baseball coach Hiroshi Sasaki instructed his players to swim as part of their workouts, according to a 2021 Los Angeles Times column. Sasaki said Ohtani was particularly fast in the pool. “The swimming coach here said he could have made the Olympics,” Sasaki said, according to the column.

Ohtani’s parents were impressive athletes in their own right. His father, Toru Ohtani, played semi-professional baseball, and his mother, Kayoko Ohtani, is an accomplished badminton player, according to the Associated Press.

Ohtani was second in MVP voting in 2022 but isn’t even the most or second most expensive player on his team. Ohtani’s contract is worth $30 million this season, according to Baseball Reference. That puts him behind teammates Anthony Rendon ($38.6 million) and Mike Trout ($37.1 million).

With 46 home runs in 2021 and 34 home runs in 2022, Ohtani became the first Japanese MLB player to hit 30 or more home runs in consecutive seasons. His 127 career home runs rank second for Japanese-born players, trailing only longtime New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui.

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MLB players usually have a signature song that plays when they walk toward the batter’s box or the pitcher’s mound. Ohtani has had several—including “Twinbow” by Slushii and Marshmello and “Do Or Die” by Afrojack and Thirty Seconds to Mars, according to the Angels official site, as well as the theme from Game of Thrones.

Notably, the entire Angels team turned to Nickelback during the 2022 season as a lighthearted attempt to snap a 13-game losing streak. Ohtani’s song was “Photograph.”

Ohtani and legendary slugger Babe Ruth are the only two players in the history of the majors to hit at least 10 home runs and win 10 games as a pitcher in the same season. Ruth accomplished the feat 104 years prior to Ohtani in 1918, according to ESPN.

Ohtani became the first player to be selected to the MLB All-Star Game as a pitcher and position player in 2021, according to his Angels player notes. He threw a scoreless inning in the game on July 13 at Colorado’s Coors Field and went hitless in two at-bats.

Ohtani also competed in the Home Run Derby that year, hitting 28 of them.

Ohtani’s favorite players are fellow countrymen Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres and the aforementioned Hideki Matsui. Darvish, a pitcher with 95 career MLB wins, and Ohtani were teammates on the Japanese squad that claimed World Baseball Classic victory on Tuesday.

Ohtani cites his sleeping habits as an important part of his on-field success. According to Kyodo News, Ohtani will often sleep 10 or more hours in a single day and frequently works naps into his baseball routine. He even has custom pillows stuffed with extra material in order to maintain their height.