Before becoming a Major League Baseball sensation with his unprecedented talent as a pitcher and hitter, Shohei Ohtani had already made his mark on Japanese baseball. His time in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters was the prelude to a career that would push the boundaries of what was possible on the diamond.
The two-way phenomenon in NPB
In 2013, Ohtani made his debut for the Fighters at the age of 18, introducing himself to the world as an extraordinary talent. While most players specialized in one aspect of the game, he defied tradition by excelling as both a pitcher and a hitter, something virtually unheard of in Japanese professional baseball.
His impact was immediate: in his rookie year, he went 3-0 as a pitcher and began to demonstrate his power with the bat. But his evolution was just beginning. In 2014, his fastball reached 101 mph (162 km/h), setting an NPB record for a Japanese pitcher and sending a clear message: baseball was witnessing the birth of a generational talent.
2016: The year of consecration
The highlight of his time in Japan came in 2016, when Ohtani led the Fighters to win the Japan Series, the Japanese equivalent of the World Series. His impact was devastating: a 1.86 ERA, 10-4 record and 174 strikeouts in 140 innings as a pitcher, combined with a .322 batting average, 22 home runs and 67 RBIs as a hitter.
That season earned him the Pacific League MVP award and recognition from the press and fans as a true superstar. He was not only selected to the NPB All-Star team, but did so in two different positions: pitcher and designated hitter, something never seen before.
The decision to cross the Pacific
After five seasons with the Fighters, Ohtani knew that his destiny was in MLB. In 2017, at just 23 years of age, he decided to make the leap to American baseball, with the best Major League teams fighting for his signature.
His time in Japan not only served as a springboard for his MLB career, but also cemented the idea that a player could excel on both sides of the game. What Babe Ruth did in his day, Ohtani took to another level in modern baseball.
Today, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he continues to break records and redefine what it means to be a baseball player. But it all began in Japan, where a young prospect became a global phenomenon.
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