Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, renowned as a two-way player excelling as both a hitter and pitcher. Nicknamed "Shotime," he previously played for the Los Angeles Angels and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan. His exceptional performance in both roles has led to comparisons with Babe Ruth and recognition as having some of the greatest seasons in baseball history.
In 1913, earned runs became an official statistic in Major League Baseball.
In 1920, RBI became an official statistic in MLB.
From September 22 to 25, 2021, Ohtani drew 13 walks in a 4-game span, tying an AL/NL record set by Babe Ruth in 1930, Bryce Harper in 2016, and Yasmani Grandal in 2021.
In 2013, Shohei Ohtani was the second player following Osamu Takechi in 1950, to start a game as a pitcher, bat in the heart of the order and get a hit and an RBI.
In 2013, Shohei Ohtani was the second Nippon Pro Baseball rookie drafted out of high school the previous year to be used as both a pitcher and position player, following Kikuo Tokunaga in 1951
In 2013, Shohei Ohtani was the first NPB pitcher since Takao Kajimoto in 1963 to bat 3rd, 4th, or 5th and the first rookie hurler to do so since Junzo Sekine in 1950.
In September 2014, Shohei Ohtani became the first pitcher out of high school to record a 1-0 shutout victory within his first two years for the Fighters since Toshiaki Moriyasu in 1967.
On July 26, 2021, Ohtani became the first pitcher since Luis Tiant did so for the Minnesota Twins on April 26, 1970, to throw a scoreless top half and record a hit, a RBI, a stolen base and a scored run while playing in an AL ballpark
On August 18, 2021, Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the year, becoming the first left-handed batter in Angels history to reach 40 home runs, surpassing lefty Reggie Jackson's 1982 record of 39.
On July 5, 1994, Shohei Ohtani was born in Japan. He is a professional baseball player known as a two-way player, excelling as both a designated hitter and pitcher.
For the year 2021, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 45 homers, 25 stolen bases, 100 RBIs, 100 runs, and eight triples in a season and the second player in AL history to record at least 45 homers and 25 stolen bases in a season, joining Jose Canseco in 1998.
Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player and the first player in Angels history to hit 40 home runs and have 20 stolen bases in the same season in August 2021. He joined Alex Rodriguez in 2007 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999 as the 3rd AL player to accomplish this feat before September.
In the last game of the season against the Seattle Mariners in 2021, Ohtani passed teammate Mike Trout's 45 home runs to finish with 46, trailing only Troy Glaus' 47 home runs in 2000 in Angels history.
In December 2014, Shohei Ohtani became the second player out of high school in NPB history to reach 100M yen in salary in his third year, after Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2001.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani hit his 32nd home run of the year, surpassing Hideki Matsui's mark from 2004 for the most home runs hit during a season by a Japanese-born player in MLB.
In 2006, Tadahito Iguchi had a seven-RBI game, which was surpassed by Ohtani's eight-RBI game.
On August 23, Ohtani's performance made him the fastest player to join the 40–40 club, accomplishing the feat in his 126th game of the season, beating Alfonso Soriano's 2006 record by 21 games.
On August 21, 2007, Garret Anderson set a franchise record for the Angels with 10 RBIs against the New York Yankees.
Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player and the first player in Angels history to hit 40 home runs and have 20 stolen bases in the same season in August 2021. He joined Alex Rodriguez in 2007 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999 as the 3rd AL player to accomplish this feat before September.
In 2009, Matsui had a seven-RBI game, which was surpassed by Ohtani's eight-RBI game.
In July 2014, Shohei Ohtani beat the record of 100 mph set by Yakult Swallows' Yoshinori Sato in 2010.
Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player and the first player in Angels history to hit 40 home runs and have 20 stolen bases in the same season in August 2021. He also became the first AL player to reach both of those totals in a season since Curtis Granderson in 2011.
On September 26, 2021, Ohtani reached the 150-strikeout milestone and finished the year unbeaten at home. Ohtani's home ERA was the lowest by an Angels starter since Jered Weaver in 2011.
Shohei Ohtani earned his second American League Player of the Month Award in July 2021, becoming the first back-to-back Player of the Month Award winner in either league since Chase Headley in August and September 2012.
On October 21, 2012, Shohei Ohtani announced his intention to pursue a career in Major League Baseball (MLB) rather than turn professional in Japan. Subsequently, he signed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, planning to play in Japan for a few years before potentially moving to MLB.
In 2012, Shohei Ohtani threw a 99 mph fastball as an 18-year-old high school pitcher, setting a Japanese high school baseball record at the time.
In 2012, Shohei Ohtani was the first pick of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) draft after being considered an elite two-way player.
On March 29, 2013, Shohei Ohtani made his debut for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at age 18, playing as a right fielder in the season-opening game.
During the 2013 season, Shohei Ohtani had a 3-0 record with a 4.23 ERA, 33 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 61.67 innings. He also hit .238 with 7 outfield assists.
From 2013, Shohei Ohtani played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as a pitcher and outfielder.
Ippei Mizuhara was Ohtani's personal interpreter with the Angels and Dodgers, having known Ohtani since he was 18, starting in 2013 during Ohtani's days with the Fighters.
During the July 2014 Mazda All-Star Game, Shohei Ohtani threw a 101 mph fastball, setting a new record for the fastest pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher.
In 2014, Garrett Richards was the last Angels pitcher to reach 110 strikeouts in the first half of the season before Ohtani matched the feat on July 6, 2022.
In 2015, Shohei Ohtani performed dominantly for the Japanese national team in the Premier 12, leading in strikeouts and earning a spot as the All-Star SP.
In 2015, Shohei Ohtani was selected as the All-Star Game starter and was awarded the Pacific League Best Nine award. He finished the season with a 15-5 record, a 2.24 ERA, and 196 strikeouts. He placed third in MVP voting and was a candidate for the Sawamura Award.
From September 22 to 25, 2021, Ohtani drew 13 walks in a 4-game span, tying an AL/NL record set by Babe Ruth in 1930, Bryce Harper in 2016, and Yasmani Grandal in 2021. His 11 walks drawn in the three-game span also tied the MLB record set by Harper in 2016.
In 2016, Ohtani suffered an injury to his right ankle during the Japan Series, which later affected his playing time in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and subsequent season.
In 2016, Shohei Ohtani helped lead Nippon Ham to the Japan Series, contributing significantly on offense, including a game-winning hit in Game 3. The team won their second Japan Series title.
In 2016, Shohei Ohtani hit 22 home runs, batted .322, had a 1.86 ERA, and struck out 174 batters. He won the Best Nine award as both a designated hitter and a pitcher, and he was named the Pacific League MVP. He hit 102.5 mph, setting a new NPB record at the time.
In 2016, Shohei Ohtani won the Japan Series with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
In 2016, Shohei Ohtani won the Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award with 253 out of 254 first-place votes. He also made the Best Nine as both the top pitcher and top designated hitter in the PL, becoming the first player to achieve this dual recognition.
On November 21, 2017, MLB and NPB came to a posting agreement for Ohtani, paving the way for his potential move to Major League Baseball.
On December 9, 2017, Shohei Ohtani signed a deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
After the 2017 season, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters posted Shohei Ohtani to Major League Baseball (MLB).
Shohei Ohtani has been represented by agent Nez Balelo of CAA Sports since 2017, shortly after announcing his plans to pursue an MLB career.
In his September 19 game against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani became the first player since July 7, 2018, to reach 10 or more RBI in a single game.
Ohtani made his first pitching appearance since September 2018, during the 2020 season, against the Oakland Athletics on July 26, 2020
In 2018, Ohtani played in Major League Baseball.
In 2018, Rōki Sasaki surpassed Shohei Ohtani's 2012 Japanese high school baseball record for the fastest fastball, throwing a 101 mph pitch.
In 2018, Shohei Ohtani had a rough start during his MLB spring training, leading to disappointment from American news sources. However, by the end of the regular season, the media acknowledged they were wrong to dismiss him so quickly.
In 2018, Shohei Ohtani won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award after signing with the Los Angeles Angels.
In 2021, Ohtani finished with an American League-leading 20 intentional walks, which was the most by an AL player since Trout in 2018.
Shohei Ohtani was listed in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia class of 2018 in the field of Entertainment & Sports.
Since his 2018 rookie season, the Angels implemented "Ohtani Rules", restricting his usage to pitching once a week and hitting only three to four times between starts, mirroring his schedule in Japan. These rules were later dropped.
On May 7, 2019, Shohei Ohtani played in his first game with the Angels since undergoing Tommy John surgery, serving as a designated hitter against the Detroit Tigers.
After the results of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Ohtani spent the offseason overhauling himself, adjusting his diet, throwing bullpen sessions earlier than usual and taking batting practice against live pitching, an offseason first for him.
Reflecting on his performance in 2019, Ohtani expressed disappointment, although he found his 2020 season "more like pathetic" due to his inability to perform as desired.
Shohei Ohtani experienced an injury-plagued season in 2019.
After the results of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Ohtani spent the offseason overhauling himself. He also embraced data and technology to optimize his training and recovery and also tinkered with a changeup.
In 2020, Mookie Betts received $27 million before the season, setting a record for a player in his third year of arbitration until Ohtani's deal in 2023.
In 2020, Ohtani experienced a challenging season, marked by a flexor strain in his right elbow which shut him down from pitching. Offensively, he batted .190/.291/.366 with seven home runs. He also returned to the mound on July 26, 2020 against the Oakland Athletics, making his first pitching appearance since September 2018.
Ohtani described feeling "frustrated" and "useless" due to injuries in his 2019 and 2020 seasons, particularly feeling that his 2020 season was "more like pathetic" due to his inability to pitch or hit as desired.
Shohei Ohtani experienced another injury-plagued season in 2020.
On November 16, 2021, Shohei Ohtani joined cryptocurrency exchange FTX as a global ambassador, partnering on various animal charitable initiatives.
For the 2021 season, Ohtani's 28.8 feet per second sprint speed ranked in the 92nd percentile of all players, as did his 3.51 second 80-foot split and he also recorded the fastest home to first average sprint time in the Majors at 4.09 seconds, while recording a then career-high 26 stolen bases.
From September 22 to 25, 2021, Ohtani drew 13 walks in a 4-game span, tying an AL/NL record set by Babe Ruth in 1930, Bryce Harper in 2016, and Yasmani Grandal in 2021.
In 2021, Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player. He was named to both the first and second All-MLB Team, won the Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and the Silver Slugger Award. He was also included in Time 100's list of most influential people, and received several Athlete of the Year and Player of the Year awards.
In 2021, Ohtani's salary was $3 million before receiving a large raise for the 2023 season.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani achieved numerous milestones, including hitting his 32nd home run, passing Hideki Matsui's record for the most home runs in a season by a Japanese-born player. He also became the first player selected as an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher. Ohtani agreed to a two-year $8.5 million contract with the Angels, avoiding arbitration on February 8, 2021.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani had MLB league-leading $6 million endorsement earnings.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani had a total of 156 strikeouts, which he surpassed on August 9, 2022.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani hit 46 home runs and struck out 156 batters, winning his first AL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) and receiving the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani was named to Time 100's list of most influential people of 2021 and awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award by Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Shohei Ohtani entered the 2023 All-Star Game with 30+ homers for the second time in his career, having hit 33 previously in 2021.
On March 22, 2022, Major League Baseball introduced a new rule, known as the "Ohtani rule," allowing a pitcher in the batting order to remain in the game as a designated hitter after being removed from the pitching mound.
On July 6, 2022, Shohei Ohtani made MLB history against the Miami Marlins by becoming the first player since 1920 (when RBI became an official stat) to record 10 strikeouts as a pitcher, two RBIs as a batter, and a stolen base in a single game. In this game, he threw 111 strikeouts over 81 innings, which made him the first Angels pitcher to record 110 K's in the first half in fewer than 100 innings, and he became the fourth Angels player with multiple seasons of 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases before the All-Star break.
On August 9, 2022, in a game against the Oakland Athletics, Shohei Ohtani achieved three historical feats. He joined Babe Ruth in the 10-homer, 10-win club. Also, he moved up the all-time home run list for Japanese-born players, and set a single-season career high in strikeouts. He earned his 10th win, and his 25th home run surpassed Ichiro Suzuki for second place on the all-time Major League home run list for Japanese-born players. His five strikeouts brought him to 157 on the season, surpassing his 2021 total.
In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds.
During the 2022 season, Ohtani finished with a 15-9 record, a 2.33 ERA, and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. Offensively, he hit .273/.356/.519 with 34 homers, 30 doubles, 11 stolen bases, and 95 RBIs in 157 games. He was named the Los Angeles Angels Player and Pitcher of the Year, won his second straight Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, and was runner-up for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
In 2022, Ohtani's salary was $5.5 million before receiving a large raise for the 2023 season.
In 2022, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in the modern era to qualify for both the hitting and pitching leaderboards in one season, finishing third in the AL with 219 strikeouts.
In 2022, Shohei Ohtani had MLB league-leading $20 million endorsement earnings.
In 2022, like in 2023, Ohtani opted to participate only as a hitter in the All-Star Game and not pitch due to a blister.
In a two-game span from June 21-22, 2022, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in AL/NL history to have at least eight RBIs in a game and strike out at least 10 batters the next day. On June 21, 2022, he hit two three-run homers, setting a career-high with eight RBIs, becoming the first Japanese-born player and eighth player in Angels history to achieve this in a single game.
As of March 2023, Shohei Ohtani's endorsement earnings were estimated to be an MLB league-leading $35–40 million for the 2023 year.
In April 2023, Shohei Ohtani's lawyers filed for Ohtani's dismissal from the FTX lawsuit.
From June 12 to 18, 2023, Shohei Ohtani was named AL Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career after hitting six home runs, going .435 (10-for-23), 12 RBIs, 10 walks and a 1.893 OPS, and winning as a starting pitcher on June 15, 2023, against the Texas Rangers.
From June 26 to July 2, 2023, Shohei Ohtani won his sixth career AL Player of the Week award, surpassing Suzuki for the most by a Japanese-born player, and also won his third career American League Player of the Month for June. During this time, he hit six home runs with a 1.783 OPS and hit a career-long 493-foot home run.
On September 19, 2023, Shohei Ohtani underwent elbow surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache to address the UCL tear in his right elbow.
On December 11, 2023, Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the largest contract in professional sports history at the time. $68 million per season was deferred until after the deal's conclusion, to be paid out from 2034 to 2043.
After helping Team Japan clinch its third WBC title, Shohei Ohtani became the only player to be named to the All-WBC team at two separate positions, having been named to the 2023 team as both a designated hitter and a pitcher.
For the second time in his career, Shohei Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player and was named to the 2023 All-MLB Team. Ohtani also won his third straight Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, his second Silver Slugger Award, and his first career AL Hank Aaron Award. The Angels announced Ohtani was the team's Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2023, won his second Associated Press AP Athlete of the Year, his second Baseball America Major League Player of the Year honor, and his second Players Choice American League Outstanding Player Award. Ohtani's contract expired after the 2023 season, making him a free agent.
In 135 games as a hitter, Shohei Ohtani batted .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He ended the 2023 regular season as the first Japanese-born player to lead a U.S. major league in home runs, capturing the American League title with 44 home runs.
In 2023, Ohtani added two new deals with New Balance and Japanese cosmetics company Kosé.
In 2023, Shohei Ohtani earned an automatic spot on the 2023 All-Star roster as the leading vote-getter in the American League All-Star ballot and was elected as an All-Star pitcher for the American League. This marked the third straight year Ohtani was named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a DH.
In 2023, Shohei Ohtani won his second AL MVP, leading the AL with 44 home runs and recording 10 wins as a pitcher. He also became the first Japanese-born player to win a league home run title.
In 2023, Shohei Ohtani won the MVP Award for the World Baseball Classic following Japan's victory over the United States, striking out Mike Trout to secure the win.
In 2023, after being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Ohtani made his second straight Opening Day start for the Angels. On May 10, 2023, he passed Babe Ruth on the all-time strikeout list, recording his 502nd career pitching strikeout.
On October 1, the Angels signed Shohei Ohtani to a one-year, $30 million deal for the 2023 season. The $30 million deal set a new record for a player in his third year of arbitration.
In February 2024, Shohei Ohtani announced that he had married but declined to disclose his wife's identity except to say, "She's a normal Japanese woman".
In March 2024, an ESPN investigation uncovered $4.5 million in wire payments from Ohtani's bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation under federal investigation, leading to the firing of his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, and Ohtani's denial of any involvement in gambling.
On May 9, 2024, Lionsgate Television announced the development of a scripted series based on the interpreter gambling scandal.
On December 29, 2024, Shohei Ohtani announced on Instagram that he and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, were expecting their first child.
After the 2023 season, Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2024, while recovering from an elbow injury, he played as a DH and was named the National League MVP. Shohei Ohtani won the 2024 World Series.
After the 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani won the National League Most Valuable Player award unanimously, marking his third career unanimous MVP award, his second consecutive unanimous MVP award, and his first in the National League.
Due to an elbow injury and subsequent surgery in September 2023, it was announced that Shohei Ohtani would not pitch in the 2024 season for the Dodgers.
In 2025, Shohei Ohtani's likeness was added to Fortnite as part of the Icon Series, making him the first MLB player available in the game.
Starting in 2034, the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin paying Shohei Ohtani $68 million per season as part of the deferred payments from his contract signed on December 11, 2023.
2043 is the final year in which the Los Angeles Dodgers will pay Shohei Ohtani $68 million as part of the deferred payments from his contract signed on December 11, 2023.
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