Shohei Ohtani's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Shohei Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani is a celebrated Japanese professional baseball player, currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, renowned for his exceptional skills as both a hitter and a pitcher. Prior to joining the Dodgers, he played for the Los Angeles Angels and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Ohtani's rare two-way abilities have led to comparisons with Babe Ruth, with some considering his prime seasons to be among the greatest in baseball history. His nickname is "Shotime".

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1950: Junzo Sekine Batted

In 1950, Junzo Sekine became the first rookie hurler to bat 3rd, 4th, or 5th since Shohei Ohtani.

1951: Kikuo Tokunaga Used as Pitcher/Position Player

In 1951, Kikuo Tokunaga became the first Nippon Pro Baseball (NPB) rookie drafted out of high school to be used as both a pitcher and position player, a feat that Shohei Ohtani would later accomplish.

1963: Takao Kajimoto Batted

In 1963, Takao Kajimoto became the first NPB pitcher to bat 3rd, 4th, or 5th since Shohei Ohtani.

1967: Toshiaki Moriyasu's Shutout

In 1967, Toshiaki Moriyasu became the first pitcher out of high school to record a 1-0 shutout victory within his first two years for the Fighters since Shohei Ohtani.

2001: Matsuzaka's Salary Record

In December, 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.

2006: Fastest to 40-40 Club

In 2006, Alfonso Soriano set the record for the fastest player to join the 40-40 club. Ohtani beat Alfonso Soriano's 2006 record by 21 games.

2010: Previous Record for Fastest Pitch

In 2010, Yoshinori Sato of the Yakult Swallows set the previous record for the fastest official pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher at 100 mph before Shohei Ohtani broke the record in July 2014.

2012: Threw a 99 mph Fastball

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, during the Japanese national high school baseball championship tournament.

July 2014: Fastest Pitch by Japanese Pitcher

In July 2014, Shohei Ohtani threw a 101 mph fastball during the All-Star Game, setting a new record for the fastest official pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher.

2015: Dominant pitching season

In 2015, Ohtani had a dominant pitching season earning him the starter role in the All-Star Game and a spot in the Pacific League Best Nine awards.

2015: WBSC Premier12 Tournament and Awards

In 2015, Ohtani won a bronze medal with the Japanese national team at the inaugural WBSC Premier12 tournament. He was named to the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation All-World Team and was named the 2015 WBSC Baseball Player of the Year.

2015: Premier 12 All-Star

Shohei Ohtani was named the All-Star SP for the 2015 Premier 12, demonstrating his dominance for the Japanese national team.

2016: Dominant Two-Way Season

In 2016, Ohtani had a dominant two-way season, hitting 22 home runs and achieving a career-low ERA of 1.86 as a pitcher. He was named Pacific League MVP and won the Best Nine award as both a pitcher and designated hitter (DH).

2016: Japan Series Title

In 2016, Shohei Ohtani led Nippon Ham to the Japan Series, contributing both as a pitcher and hitter, ultimately helping them secure their second Japan Series title.

2016: PL MVP Award

In 2016, Shohei Ohtani was the runaway winner of the Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award and made the Best Nine as the top pitcher and top DH in the PL. He became the first player to receive the awards as both a pitcher and a hitter.

July 7, 2018: Dodgers Records

On July 7, 2018, Ohtani became the 16th player in MLB history to reach 10 or more RBI in a single game, the first since July 7, 2018.

2018: Fastball Record Surpassed

In 2018, Rōki Sasaki surpassed Shohei Ohtani's 2012 fastball record with a 101 mph fastball.

2018: AL Rookie of the Year

In 2018, Shohei Ohtani won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award after signing with the Los Angeles Angels.

2018: Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia

Ohtani was listed in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia class of 2018 in the field of Entertainment & Sports.

May 7, 2019: First Game After Tommy John Surgery

On May 7, 2019, Shohei Ohtani played in his first game for the Angels since undergoing Tommy John surgery, serving as the designated hitter against the Detroit Tigers.

July 7, 2021: Most Home Runs in a Season by a Japanese-Born Player

On July 7, 2021, Shohei Ohtani hit his 32nd home run of the year, surpassing Hideki Matsui's 2004 record for the most home runs in a season by a Japanese-born player in MLB.

2021: Baserunning Skills and Stolen Bases

For the 2021 season, Ohtani's sprint speed ranked in the 92nd percentile of all players, and he 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.

2021: Time 100 and Commissioner's Award

In 2021, Ohtani was named to Time 100's list of most influential people and awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

2021: AL MVP Award

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 for his statistically unprecedented two-way season.

2021: Named American League MVP

In 2021, Shohei Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP). He also received numerous other awards and accolades for his outstanding performance throughout the year.

2021: Recognized with Guinness World Records

Shohei Ohtani's 2021 season earned him two Guinness World Records titles, recognizing his unique achievements as both a dominant pitcher and hitter. The accomplishments were so impactful that he was offered Japan's national honor, the People's Honour Award, but Ohtani rejected it, saying it was "still too early" for such an award. His 2021 season was ranked No.1 in the article “The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked” by The Sporting News.

August 9, 2022: Ohtani Achieves Three Historical Feats

On August 9, 2022, Shohei Ohtani joined Babe Ruth in the 10-homer, 10-win club, surpassed Ichiro Suzuki on the all-time home run list for Japanese-born players, and set a single-season career high in strikeouts.

2022: Qualified for Hitting and Pitching Leaderboards

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.

2023: All-WBC Team Selection

Following Team Japan's WBC title in 2023, Ohtani was the only player named to the All-WBC team at two positions: designated hitter and pitcher.

2023: World Baseball Classic MVP

In 2023, Ohtani played for the Japan National Baseball Team in the World Baseball Classic. He was named the Pool B MVP and earned the save in the championship game against the US, leading Japan to victory and winning the tournament's MVP award.

2023: Ohtani Voted American League MVP

In 2023, Shohei Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player for the second time, becoming the first player in MLB history to win MVP by unanimous vote twice. He was also named to the 2023 All-MLB Team and won multiple other awards, including his third straight Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.

2023: Second AL MVP Award

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.

2024: National League MVP Award

After the 2024 season, Ohtani won the National League Most Valuable Player award unanimously, marking his third career unanimous MVP award, second consecutive unanimous MVP award, and his first in the National League in 2024.