Shohei Ohtani: A Remarkable Athlete

Shohei Ohtani was born in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, in 1994. He has been playing baseball since elementary school. From a young age, his talent was appeared in baseball and joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's professional league in 2013. He established himself as a two-way player in Japan’s professional league.

After spending successful seasons, he moved to Major League Baseball in the United States and joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2018. He became famous for his ability as both a pitcher and a hitter. In 2023, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. Furthermore, he played in the WBC in 2023. He was a great pitcher and hitter in the tournament. In the final game, he struck out his teammate and helped Japan become world champion.

In 2026, he became the highest-paid player in Major League Baseball, with total earnings of about $127 million. Around 98% of this income came from sponsorship deals. He has partnerships with more than 20 global companies from Japan and abroad, which makes him one of the most successful athletes in the world.

He married in 2024, and he is a father for 2 kids. Even though he has his own family, he has continued to focus on baseball. His wife is supporting him very well.

He also helps other people through charity work. In 2023, he donated about 60,000 baseball gloves to elementary schools across Japan. He hoped that more children would enjoy playing baseball. (I saw the gloves at my kids' school!!)

I think fame and fortune have brought Ohtani happiness. Although he has natural talent, his happiness today is the result of his hard work and his sincere attitude toward everything he does.

The Lost World - larger than life

Write about a ‘larger than life’ character from your country – fictional or real.

I think All Japanese admit Ichiro Suzuki is the most popular Japanese professional baseball player.  He began his career with Orix Blue Wave in Japan in 1992 when he was 19 years old.  Then, he went to the United States and became a player of the Seattle Mariners in 2001.  Since then, he has been spending his seasons in the United States.


He is the outfielder and can catch long fly balls.  Moreover, he can strongly and quickly throw the ball back to home like a rocket.  When he belonged to the New York Yankees, I had a chance to see the game.  His performance as the center fielder was just outstanding and I was so excited to see his performance in the field.


He also set a new record as a great hitter.  In 2016, he collected the 3,000th hit.  By the end of 2016 season, he played in his 2500th games in MLB in the United States.  This is the greatest record because there are only two players who have achieved such a great record.


He becomes 44 years old this year.  I hope he keeps breaking a record and playing in MLB as long as possible.