MLB star Shohei Ohtani made a triumphant return to Japan last week for an exhibition game, playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in a major league uniform.
In a rare interview a day before the game, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ phenom spoke about his return to Japan, season expectations and his impact on kids through baseball.
“Coming back this time and being able to start the season here is really special,” Ohtani said. “I hope it becomes an unforgettable year for me.”
Even for Ohtani, who has become a household name on both sides of the Pacific, it will be challenging to top last year’s historic performance. He hit 54 home runs, stole 59 bases and won his first World Series championship with the Dodgers.
He said their goal as a team is to win back-to-back championships, but on a personal level, Ohtani said, “this is the year I’m returning as a pitcher, so I want to approach that carefully while also making sure to deliver solid results as a batter.”
His rare blend of impressive hitting and pitching has led many to refer to Ohtani as this generation’s Babe Ruth. The “Sultan of Swat,” Ruth was a transformative figure in the growth of the game in Japan, popularizing the sport during a series of exhibition games held in the country in 1934.
“Babe Ruth is definitely one of the players I respect, so being compared to or used as an example alongside such a player is something I always feel is very special for me,” Ohtani said.
Although baseball is known as America’s pastime, in Japan you’ll find advertisements and merchandise featuring Ohtani along the bustling streets of Tokyo.
Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts, who has Japanese ancestry on his mother’s side, said Ohtani is shouldering the responsibility of an entire nation.
“We’re an hour before the first pitch and this place is jam packed,” Roberts said ahead of the exhibition game. “You’ve got fans all over the world that are here.”
Just like it did with Babe Ruth nearly a century ago, the MLB is betting on Ohtani’s popularity.
“It really means a lot to me when kids who play baseball say they want to be like Shohei Ohtani. This has happened a lot both when I played in Japan and after I started playing in America,” Ohtani said. “I feel a strong responsibility to make sure I don’t let those kids down.”
Ohtani’s former interpreter
One year ago Ohtani learned his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole nearly $17 million from him to pay off gambling debts.
Ohtani has not spoken publicly about the incident since last March and is looking forward to the year ahead.
Mizuhara was sentenced in February to more than four years in prison and ordered to pay $18 million in restitution.
The Dodgers open their season with a series in Japan starting Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.
