Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Otani, Shōhei Ōtani, OHTANI Shohei, OTANI Shohei, ŌTANI Shōhei
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Who is this?
Shohei Ohtani (born July 5, 1994) is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Because of his contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, which make him a rare two-way player, Ohtani's prime seasons have been considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some likening them to the early career of Babe Ruth. Considered early on as an elite two-way player, Ohtani was the first pick of the Fighters in the 2012 NPB draft. He played for the Fighters from 2013 through 2017 as a pitcher and an outfielder and won the 2016 Japan Series with them. The Fighters posted Ohtani to MLB after the 2017 season, and he signed with the Angels, soon winning the 2018 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award. Following an injury-plagued 2019 and 2020, Ohtani hit 46 home runs and struck out 156 batters en route to winning his first AL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2021. For his statistically unprecedented two-way season, Ohtani received the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award. In 2022, he 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 as a pitcher. Ohtani won his second unanimous AL MVP in 2023, leading the AL with 44 home runs while recording 10 wins as a pitcher. He became the first player to win multiple unanimous MVPs and the first Japanese-born player to win a league home run title. After the 2023 season, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, the largest contract in professional sports history at the time. Unable to pitch in 2024 while recovering from a second elbow injury, Ohtani played only as a DH for the Dodgers. He was unanimously named the 2024 National League (NL) MVP after becoming the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season and won the 2024 World Series in his first MLB postseason appearance. Ohtani returned to pitching in 2025 and set a Dodgers franchise record with 55 home runs in a season, winning his second consecutive NL MVP unanimously and becoming the only player to win multiple MVP awards in each league. He was named the 2025 NLCS MVP after hitting three home runs and pitching six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in Game 4 en route to capturing back-to-back championships in the 2025 World Series. Since 2023, Ohtani's jerseys have sold more than any other player worldwide. Internationally, Ohtani represents Japan. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he led Team Japan to their third championship and was named the tournament's MVP. The 2023 final against the United States was one of the most-watched baseball games in history, culminating in Ohtani striking out Angels teammate and U.S. captain Mike Trout on
Career
- 1994Birth
What happened recently
Shohei Ohtani skips bullpen session and won't throw off mound until irritated left knee feels 100%
‘I can’t believe it’ The Dodgers are so crazy! Ohtani's knee condition worsens → Bullpen pitching suddenly canceled, "He appears to be retreating a bit"
Shohei Ohtani's injury doesn't affect Dodgers' potential trade deadline move as sellers
Shohei Ohtani baseball card worth millions of dollars to release this week - 9News
Shohei Ohtani pitching timetable changes again after ‘regression’ with left knee
Extremely anti-Ohtani, makes another explosive comment! “Pitchers must give up forever and focus on batting”
Something exploded, no hits in 27 consecutive at-bats → Green Monster's direct hit double - 23rd three-run hit of the season, surpassing Ohtani to become the most home runs in a Japanese ML debut season
Ohtani will not return to the mound next week... Director Roberts: “We will not rush”
Shohei Ohtani's Timeline to Return to Dodgers' Rotation After Knee Injury Discussed by Dave Roberts
Ohtani further postpones return to mound… Dodgers: “October is more important”
When will Ido-Ryu Ohtani return as a pitcher? Director Roberts: “We will not rush”
Pitcher Ohtani's return postponed... Coach Roberts: “Complete physical condition comes first.”
'Dual sword style' Ohtani postpones return to pitcher... Roberts "A perfect body comes first"
'Knee pain' Ohtani plans to pitch in bullpen again... Return in July is virtually impossible
Blue Jays 3B Kazuma Okamoto breaks Shohei Ohtani's MLB record for home runs by Japanese rookie
“Condition is good” But why is pitcher Ohtani’s return being delayed further, and why is the Dodgers in no hurry
President Trump makes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto joke on Dodgers’ White House visit
Trump likens Shohei Ohtani to Babe Ruth as the World Series champion Dodgers visit White House
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for ‘some time’ because of left knee irritation
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber got last All-Star laugh on Shohei Ohtani despite fan vote
MLB News: All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani 300 home runs, Justin Verlander retirement
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