On Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested that Ohtani could become "baseball's first $600 million man." It was previously predicted that Ohtani could receive $500 million total . Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 American League MVP and runner-up in 2022, is set to hit free agency in 2023. His 10.4 K/9 was the best in the league and opponents hit just .223 against him. For the season, he was 30 with a 4.23 ERA, 33 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 61+23 innings. Widely considered one of . "Sultan of Swat," meet "Sho Time." On Monday, baseball's Shohei Ohtani accomplished a feat not seen in nearly a century -- taking the mound as his team's starting pitcher while simultaneously . TEMPE, Ariz. As Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate, the Tempe Diablo Stadium public address system blared the bouncy little J-pop tune, "Fashion Monster." The Angels dugout roared in . Ohtani said, "[Until 2019], I could more or less do the things I wanted to do. For the month of July, he produced nine home runs, 19 RBIs, 16 walks and a .282/.396/.671 slash line in 23 games at the plate, and a 1.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 20 innings. 0:00. Ohtani's five strikeouts in the game brought him to 157 on the season, a new single-season high eclipsing his 2021 total of 156. [141], Ohtani recorded two home runs, including a grand slam, on May 9, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Rays, marking the second time of the 2022 season and the eighth time in his career for Ohtani to record a multi-homer game, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the most by a Japanese-born player in MLB history,[142] while also going 3-for-4 and a career-high five RBIs. [36] Ohtani was the same dominant pitcher on the mound. Shohei Ohtani poses for a portrait at Angels spring training on Feb. 21, 2023. Ohtani makes more history", "Ohtani flirts with perfecto after making history at plate", "Rangers' Jonah Heim Hits First Grand Slam Against Shohei Ohtani in 10-5 Win Over Angels", "Shohei Ohtani Shows Off His 'Unbelievable' Talents to Dominate Red Sox at Fenway", "Shohei Ohtani went yard twice on Monday for his 8th career multi-HR game, breaking a tie with Ichiro for the most multi-HR games by a Japanese-born player in MLB history", "Ohtani becomes third Japanese player to join 100-homer club", "Sho-stopper: Ohtani does it all as Halos end skid", "Historic 2-game Sho: 8 RBIs, new-high 13 K's! (Morry Gash / Associated Press) Shohei Ohtani took his usual stance in the batter's box, bat perked up, face solemn. [131], In August 2022, Ohtani became a brand ambassador for Porsche Japan as part of their 'Porsche Driving Athlete' family. After pitching in his first spring game on Tuesday, Shohei Ohtani flew to Japan overnight via private jet in order to play for his home country in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He started game 5 at the Sapporo Dome and, although his team ultimately lost (31), he wasn't charged with an earned run (he gave up two unearned), and of the 12 outs he recorded in four innings, he got seven via strikeout. Ohtani was born on July 5, 1994, which makes him 28 years old. Last season was Ohtani's best as a starter, but his numbers at the dish took a bit of a dip. [59] On August 3, Ohtani hit two home runs against the Cleveland Indians, marking his first career multiple-home run game and his first two home runs in a road game. Offensively, he went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Shohei . [43], In 2017, he played in 65 games, hitting .332 with 8 homers and 31 RBIs while posting a 32 record, a 3.20 ERA, and 29 strikeouts as a pitcher. He also became just the fourth AL pitcher to throw at least eight innings and hit a homer in a game since the DH was instituted in 1973, joining Jon Garland in June 2006, Kris Benson in June 2006, and Bobby Witt in June 1997. As the number one starter, Ohtani made two pitching appearances for Japan, both against the Republic of Korea, winning Game 1 of the opening round and getting a no-decision in the semifinals. In 104 games and 382 plate appearances in 2016, Ohtani hit 22 home runs. Sasaki would assign toilet cleaning chores to Ohtani, to teach the youth pitcher humility. [130] He also became the 16th recipient of the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, awarded by Commissioner Rob Manfred,[3] who formally recognized Ohtani's 2021 season as "historically significant" and "unprecedented", calling it "so special that it was important to recognize the historic achievement that took place in 2021 with an award just about 2021. After an exclusive negotiating window between him and the Fighters, Ohtani announced that he would sign with the Fighters and spend some years in Japan before a possible MLB move. [116] As a baserunner, Ohtani's sprint speed and feet-first sliding technique have allowed him to be a league leader in stolen bases, bunt hits and infield-hit rate. [112], The Angels announced on September 25 that Ohtani was named as both the team's Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2021 and the team's Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year Award, as voted by his teammates. Positions: Designated Hitter and Pitcher Bats: Left Throws: Right 6-4, 210lb (193cm, 95kg) . He had 1,268 vote points, to 298 for runner-up Laird. Nine wins and two losses as a pitcher. And it's stacked", "Ohtani wins 2021 Edgar Martinez DH Award", "Ohtani Wins This Year's Edgar Martinez DH Award", "The 100 Most Influential People of 2021, Shohei Ohtani", "One of a kind: Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award", "Shohei Ohtani is the 2021 Sporting News Athlete of the Year", "Ohtani is Baseball Digest's Player of the Year", "Shohei Ohtani Is Baseball America's 2021 MLB Player Of The Year", "The 2021 Players Choice Award winners are", "Tokyo Tower to light the sky in Angels' colors to celebrate Shohei Ohtani's MVP season", "Japan floated idea of national honour for MLB's Ohtani, but he declined", "The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked", "MLB adds Shohei Ohtani rule to universal DH", "Opening Day Sho-time! Ohtani, who batted .257/.372/.592, including 46 home runs runner-up for the MLB lead in homers, 100 RBI, 103 runs and 26 steals in 155 games and 639 plate appearances, hit several milestones to close his season, reaching both 100 RBIs and 100 runs for the first time in his career. 42m 30s. [176] After Ohtani joined the Angels, Mizuhara suggested to Ohtani, as an icebreaker, to combine his hobby of playing video games by downloading Clash Royale with the rest of the clubhouse. Share this article 101 shares share tweet text email link Andy Nesbitt. The proceeds were donated to three Tohoku earthquake children's relief funds. The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes as the two-way phenom heads to possible free agency have heated up with the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly as the early . The crown jewel will be Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani. [181], Ohtani is the cover athlete of MLB The Show 22[182] and is the first Asian player to be featured as the cover star of MLB: The Show. [52] On April 1, he made his pitching debut, striking out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs, to pick up his first MLB win. [138] Pitching against the Texas Rangers on April 14, Ohtani gave up his first-ever career grand slam against Jonah Heim in an eventual 10-5 loss by the Angels. He singled against Ryo Akiyoshi in the 7th and scored on a hit by Kenta Imamiya for a 43 lead. [170], Ohtani is a left-handed batter. [69] In a June 13 game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle in MLB history. [143] On May 14, 2022, Ohtani hit his 100th career MLB home run, making him the third Japanese-born player with at least 100 homers in the majors, trailing only Hideki Matsui with 175 and Ichiro Suzuki with 117. Ohtani, alongside other spokespeople, is currently being sued for promoting unregistered securities through a class-action lawsuit. The 2023 MLB offseason is still well underway, but one team seems to already be ten steps ahead of everyone for 2024. Ohtani also became the first player in nearly 100 years to start a game on the mound while also entering the day leading the Majors in home runs. [103], Ohtani would finish the month of July as the first player in Major League history to ever have at least 37 home runs and 15 stolen bases before the end of July. Shohei Ohtani is on a tear like no one else in Major League Baseball. They know what he does and they obviously love him. In 10 starts on the mound, he notched a 42 record with a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) and 63 strikeouts. [6] Ohtani threw a 160km/h (99mph) fastball as an 18-year-old high school pitcher. [78] Furthermore, in spring training, the Angels general manager Perry Minasian, manager Joe Maddon, and Ohtani agreed to allow Ohtani to play without limitations or restrictions and drop the "Ohtani Rules",[80] a plan the Angels mirrored from Ohtani's schedule in Japan and had implemented since his 2018 rookie season that restricted his usage to a schedule of pitching once a week and hitting only three to four times between starts. [37] He could not pitch in the event due to a blister on his finger but wound up starring as a designated hitter (DH). Angels. Shohei Ohtani 2023 regular season home runs. [175] Mizuhara's role as Ohtani's personal interpreter ranges from confidante to conditioning coach and throwing partner, to making sure Ohtani understands, and is understood. [77] The culmination of experiencing injuries in his 2019 and 2020 campaigns led to Ohtani describing feeling "frustrated" and "useless". Ohtani's 1st spring start bumped up to Tuesday. Shohei Ohtani will become a free agent after this season. Angels star Shohei Ohtani bats during a spring-training workout on Feb. 17. "[78], After the results of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Ohtani spent the offseason overhauling himself. Good luck. the legend of Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player truly began. THE GAME: The Angels jumped on the Oakland Athletics' bullpen for nine runs over a four-inning stretch and rolled to an 11-5 victory on Tuesday in Mesa, Ariz. February 21, 2023, 12:54 AM. Reviews for Park Place Apartments. 1 story in camp -- the No. Teammate Brandon Laird would win the Series MVP. Coming up with a 54 deficit in the 8th, he singled off Shinji Tajima to bring in Shogo Akiyama with the tying run. Supreme - the Apartment STAFF Work jacket by saki ; by 's shop ; HOT ! Topps Project70 Card 268 - 1975 Mookie Betts by Tyson Beck Project 70 2017 Topps Now Off-Season OS-80 Shohei Ohtani PSA 9 Mint RC 2017 ToppsOS-80 Shohei Ohtani PSA 9RC [58], Ohtani was activated from the disabled list as a hitter on July 2, and went 0-for-4 against the Seattle Mariners. [70] On September 12, Ohtani's 2019 season prematurely ended after it was revealed that he needed surgery to repair a bipartite patella. As a hitter, he batted .274, with 28 extra-base hits (including 10 home runs), 31 RBIs and a .842 on-base plus slugging percentage in 212 at-bats. Ohtani finished the game at 6 innings pitched with 1 hit, no runs, and 1 walk surrendered and 12 strikeouts, tying his career high. Ohtani was subsequently named to the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation All-World Team and was named the 2015 WBSC Baseball Player of the Year. He played in NPB for the Fighters from 2013 through 2017 as a pitcher and an outfielder. Rhett Bollinger. Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to be a free agent following the 2023 season in which he's expected to earn a contract upwards of $500 million attached to a long-term . Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels reacts after scoring against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park on July 11 in Seattle, Washington. [148], For a second straight year, Ohtani was voted in to the All-Star Game by fans as the starter at the designated hitter position on July 8[149] and on July 10 he was selected as a starting pitcher again, making history as the only player to be selected as an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher twice. [78][79] He threw bullpen sessions earlier than usual and took batting practice against live pitching, an offseason first for him. "[3] Ohtani was offered Japan's national honor, the People's Honour Award, by the Prime Minister of Japan in recognition of his accomplishments, but Ohtani rejected it, saying it was "still too early" for such an award. However, before that could happen, he had surgery on his right ankle in early October. With the count 01, Ohtani threw a fastball that registered 162km/h (101mph) on the stadium radar gun and shattered Ginji's bat in half. He is a designated hitter and occasional outfielder known for being able to hit with homerun power. As a pitcher, he was 114 with a 2.61 ERA in 24 starts and struck out 179 (third in NPB) in 155.1 innings. Ohtani has batted .268/.357/.534 with 34 homers, 27 doubles, six triples and 89 RBIs through his first 143 games this season. He also became the first AL player to reach both of those totals in a season since Curtis Granderson in 2011. 42m 21s. [117][118] For the 2021 All-MLB Team, Ohtani is the only player to be named to both teams, first team and second team, in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively). [141], In a two game span from June 21 to 22, 2022, Ohtani made MLB history by becoming the first player in the American League or National League to have at least eight RBIs in a game and strike out at least 10 batters the next day. [57] On June 6, Ohtani left the game after a blister on the same finger. "[11], Under Sasaki's guidance, Hanamaki Higashi's players lived on campus, returning home for only six days a year. [141], The Angels avoided arbitration with Ohtani on October 1, signing Ohtani to a one-year deal worth $30 million for the 2023 season. [131], On December 22, 2021, Sporting News released the article "The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked." The injury had originally occurred in the 2016 Japan Series, and had cost him a chance to play in the 2017 World Baseball Classic in addition to restricting his playing time during the season. [115], Since gaining national and international attention as a high school phenom, Ohtani is Japan's most celebrated athlete[6] and has faced intense media pressure scrutiny with the Japanese press his whole adult life. [35] Norimoto relieved with a 30 lead but he and two other relievers combined to allow four in the 9th to blow it as Japan fell in a shocking defeat. [10], On February 8, Ohtani agreed to a two-year $8.5 million contract with the Angels, avoiding arbitration.[81]. [153] Ohtani had a career-best, team-leading 18-game hit streak that began on September 14 and ended on October 3. [61] On September 7, Ohtani broke the MLB home run record by a Japanese rookie when he hit his 19th home run for the season. Shohei Ohtani is 9-7 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 152 strikeouts in 18 starts this season. [108], On September 21, after hitting his 45th home run of the season, Ohtani became the first player to hit at least 45 homers and steal 20 bases in a season since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Rhett Bollinger. Among AL pitchers, Ohtani finished the year first in SO/9 innings rate (11.87), third in strikeouts (219), fourth in ERA (2.33) and tied for fourth in wins (15), while amongst AL hitters, Ohtani ranked fourth in homers (34), fifth in OPS (.875), fifth in total bases (304), third in intentional walks (14), tied for third in extra-base hits (70), fifth in slugging (.519), tied for fourth in triples (6), seventh in RBIs (95), seventh in walks (72), and tied for eighth in runs (90). At $30 million, the deal set a new record for a player in his third year of arbitration, surpassing the $27 million Mookie Betts received before the 2020 season and also gives Ohtani the biggest salary raise of any arbitration-eligible player; a $24.5 million raise from his 2022 salary of $5.5 million and $3 million of 2021. [180], As of April 2022[update], Ohtani endorsement earnings tripled from 2021 to an estimated MLB league-leading $20 million off the field, proving to be a marketing hit on both sides of the Pacific, with a group of 15 partnerships that included renewals among his partners Fanatics, Topps and Panini in the U.S. and Asics, Descente and Hugo Boss in Japan, as well as new deals with FTX, Kowa, Mitsubishi Bank and Salesforce. "I've always been open to it," Ohtani's agent Nez Balelo . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Under 34.5. Getty Images 4. Shohei Ohtani knew coming . Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets . Shohei Ohtani is now officially the first player to qualify as both a pitcher and a hitter in the same season (based on current qualification rules) Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 5, 2022 [158], In the 2015 Premier12, Ohtani earned a bronze medal with the Samurai Japan National Baseball Team. [21], While not fluent, Ohtani can speak English and knows Spanish, but prefers to speak to the media through an interpreter, translating his native Japanese to English. He finished the season batting .286/.343/.505 with 18 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 106 games. [66] The Angels announced on September 25 that Ohtani had agreed to the procedure, which would keep him off the mound until 2020. [2] He had seven outfield assists to one error. [94] On July 7, Ohtani hit his 32nd home run of the year, a solo shot off of Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodrguez, passing Hideki Matsui's mark in 2004, for the most home runs hit during a season by a Japanese-born player in MLB. He threw the pitch in the Japanese national high school baseball championship tournament, commonly called Summer Koshien. [23] He 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; Ohtani was the first to start in both roles. [65], On September 3, 2018, ESPN announced that doctors recommended that Ohtani undergo Tommy John surgery, after an MRI showed new damage to his UCL. The pitch came against lead-off hitter Akaminai Ginji in the 1st inning. [5] Ohtani's high school baseball coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, said that he was a fast swimmer who "could have made the Olympics. On July 26, in his 15th pitching start of the season against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani became the first pitcher in league history to register 100 strikeouts while holding a major-league-leading 35 home runs before the end of July, as no pitcher had ever recorded triple-digit strikeouts and added more than nine home runs in the same season. [72] On July 24, 2020, Ohtani was the first ever automatic player on second base in an official MLB game at the start of the 10th inning as part of one of the new 2020 MLB season rules in a game against the Oakland Athletics. The Angels' Shohei Ohtani reacts after striking out during the third inning of their Cactus League game against the San Francisco Giants on Monday in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Combined with his playing days in Nippon Professional Baseball, Ohtani reached 1,000 strikeouts between NPB (624) and MLB (379). . [97], Ohtani participated in the Home Run Derby on July 12. He also hit 162km/h twice against the second hitter, Aoi Enomoto. [50], Prior to the start of the season, the Angels announced that they would continue to use Ohtani as both a hitter and a pitcher. [132], On March 22, 2022, Major League Baseball introduced a new rule that allows for a pitcher in the batting order to remain in the game as a designated hitter after they are pulled from the pitching mound. He became the first player to received the awards as both a pitcher and a hitter. Ohtani to pitch 1st", "Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani strikes out nine, hitless at plate in loss to Astros", "What else is new? He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League. [68], On May 7, 2019, Ohtani played in his first game with the Angels since undergoing Tommy John surgery, batting as a designated hitter against the Detroit Tigers. At the plate, Shohei Ohtani is hitting .279 with 70 RBIs, trailing only Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr (73) and Boston's Rafael Devers (72). He also won the Best Nine award as a pitcher and won the Pacific League MVP. He 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. [6] Instead, he opted to stay local, selecting Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, Northern Japan,[8] the same high school as pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, whom he admired;[9] Ohtani competed there as a swimmer[10] and played baseball. All these stats were career bests, as were his 196 strikeouts, 0.909 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts per nine innings.[34]. [54] On April 6, he hit his third home run in three days, becoming the first Angels rookie to do so. Down 2 games to 0, he came up big as the DH in game 3, getting 3 hits, a run and a RBI. Now he is healthy again, and House said the key will be for the Angels to manage . A tiebreaker round saw Ohtani and Soto tied again at 28 home runs. "[151], In a game against the Oakland Athletics where he pitched and hit, Ohtani completed three historical feats on August 9, 2022. [83] He went 1-for-3, hitting a 450-foot solo home run on the first pitch he faced. In his first pitching start against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday Night Baseball on April 4, 2021, he threw 4 innings, allowing one earned run and two unearned runs. His mother, Kayoko, was a national-level badminton player in high school and his father worked at a local automobile manufacturing plant and was an amateur baseball player who played in the Japanese Industrial League. Ohtani had decided that he was going to use the money in this manner no matter what his Derby outcome was.[100]. Ohtani received 4 of the 233 votes for the 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (Pacific League), tying Tatsuya Sato for a distant second behind Takahiro Norimoto. 42m 15s. see also Padres' 16-year-old prodigy Ethan Salas already living up to superstar potential Clayton Kershaw, maybe the best pitcher since Sandy Koufax, works as hard as ever to . PSA MTG OCG NFT 2018 Topps Finest Refractor #100 Shohei Ohtani Rookie AGC 10 Gem Mint LA Angels 2018 Topps Finest Refrecor100 Shohei Ohtani . [102] Additionally, in the same game, Ohtani became the first pitcher 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 since Luis Tiant did so for the Minnesota Twins on April 26, 1970.