The Tale (and the Cards) of MLB‘s Dominant Force
Today, Shohei Ohtani is nothing less than a worldwide phenomenon. The man best known for combining elite power numbers in the batter’s box with ace-level stuff on the mound has been unable to pitch this season after undergoing elbow surgery in September of last year.
Left to focus on his role as an everyday designated hitter, all Ohtani has done is put together one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the sport. Now the first and only member of the 50/50 club and mortal lock for NL MVP, Ohtani is about to begin his first-ever MLB postseason. Before he writes even more history, let’s look back at how Shohei Ohtani became perhaps the biggest star in the MLB and all of The Hobby.
2017 Bowman Chrome Mega Box Baseball #BCP31 Shohei Ohtani Green Refractor /99
“The Babe Ruth of Japan”
Ohtani was already building his legend before he left his teenage years behind. In 2012, he registered a then-record 99 MPH on the gun as an 18-year-old pitcher while competing in Japan’s famous high school tournament, Summer Koshien. The prodigy made waves while representing his local school after turning down the opportunity to play at a bigger program. His obvious talent led to interest from a number of MLB clubs, including the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Ohtani made it clear he wanted to play in the majors eventually, he decided to begin his professional career at home in Japan.
Interestingly, his decision to stay in Japan came down to his desire to play both a position player and a pitcher. The Dodgers, who have a long history of developing international talent, were Ohtani’s top choice, but the club was unsure about him playing both ways. Ohtani signed instead for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, who drafted him in the first round of the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball draft.
After an inconsistent few years at the plate as a youngster, Ohtani made a leap in 2016, putting up an OPS of 1.004 and 22 HR in 107 games. On the mound, Ohtani was dominant from 2014-16, and in his MVP campaign, he posted an ERA of 1.86 while striking out 174 batters in only 140 innings. In September, a 22-year-old Ohtani hit 101.9 MPH on the radar. The Fighters would win their first championship since 2006 and only the third in franchise history. Ohtani was named Japan’s Sportsperson of the Year. Barely into his twenties and only scratching the surface of his potential, “The Babe Ruth of Japan” was already larger than life.
NPB Accomplishments
• 2016 japan series champion
• 5x npb all-star
• 2016 npb pacific league mvp
• 2x japan sportsperson of the year
defining moment
• With his team trailing 2-0 in the 2016 japan series, wins game 3 with an extra inning rbi single (Hokkaido go on to win in six games)
what they said
• “his slider curves too much, and my body couldn’t react in time. In the beginning, I couldn’t catch his pitches at all.” – ohtani’s high school catcher Ryuki Sasaki
2017 MLB TOPPS NOW® Off-Season #OS-80 Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani Takes MLB by Storm
Somewhat surprisingly, Ohtani chose to sign with the Los Angeles Angels after an intense negotiating period with a number of MLB clubs. The Angels had not won a playoff game since 2009 when Ohtani joined, and despite his remarkable ability, success, and popularity, they did not reach the postseason during his six years with the team.
Despite a lack of team success, there was no stopping Ohtani Mania. The two-way superstar provided MLB with the first player to approach appointment viewing status since Barry Bonds. While sports analysts love to speak of players as generational, Ohtani was so far beyond such trivialities – he was a once-in-a-century player. While his exploits at the plate and on the mound captured the imagination of baseball fans from the beginning, it was his 2021 season that truly crystallized his unique potential and turned it into something truly awesome. Ohtani would begin to hit and pitch in the same game.
MLB records piled up in the process. He became the first player to throw a ball over 100 MPH and hit a ball over 110 MPH in the same game. Ohtani did it in the first inning – of his first start – striking out Adam Eaton in the top of the frame before launching a 451-foot home run in his first at-bat. In the All-Star Game, he was the starting pitcher and batted leadoff. Oh, he also hit a 513-foot home run in the Derby. He became the only player to hit at least 45 home runs, steal 25 bases, and strike out 150 batters in the same year. Ohtani was a unanimous AL MVP.
By the end of his final season with the Angels, his three-year run from 2021-23 stood as one of the most exciting stretches of baseball the world has ever seen: 124 homers, 290 RBI, 542 strikeouts, 296 IP. But the numbers cannot do what we saw justice. This was different. This was singular.
2018 Topps Chrome Sapphire #AC-SO Shohei Ohtani Superfractor RC Auto /1
LAA Accomplishments
• 2018 al rookie of the year
• 3x mlb all-star
• 2x silver slugger
• 2x ap male athlete of the year
defining moment
• in his final season with the angels, ohtani throws his first mlb shutout while blasting two home runs in an 11-4 win over the detroit tigers
what they said
• “HE CAUSES EVERY SINGLE PERSON, EVEN IF YOU’RE JUST A CASUAL FAN, TO STOP AND WATCH BASEBALL. THAT’S WHAT WE NEED IN THE SPORT AND HE’S DOING IT.” – MLB Star Freddie Freeman
2023 World Baseball Classic TOPPS NOW® #WBC-71 Shohei Ohtani
Sho-Time Rules the World
Baseball fans worldwide were given an unbelievable show from the game’s most important star during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He led Japan to a gold medal and, in the biggest moment of the tournament, closed out Japan’s championship win by famously striking out then-teammate Mike Trout. He dominated Trout, who could not get close to his heat, before swinging hopelessly at a slider to end the game. He was named MVP. 62 million people in Japan tuned in to watch the final. Ohtani was a national hero.
2023 WBC Accomplishments
• 1.345 OPS
• 8 RBI (7 GP)
• 11 K (9.2 IP)
• 1.86 ERA
defining moment
• The Gold Medal-winning strikeout of Mike Trout remains perhaps the most memorable single moment of Ohtani’s career
what they said
• “This is the best moment in my life.” – Shohei ohtani after winning the gold medal
2023 MLB TOPPS NOW® #OS21 Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Moves Across Tinseltown and Into Another Stratosphere
After an injury-shortened season in 2023, Ohtani signed the largest deal not just in MLB history but for any athlete, leaving the Angels for the Dodgers. 10 years, $700 million. Despite paying for a two-way player, out of caution, the organization decided to prevent Ohtani from pitching this season. The result has been one of the most electrifying displays of offense ever: 54 Homers, 59 bags, a whisker away from a Triple Crown.
lad accomplishments
• 54 home runs
• 59 stolen bases
• .310 batting average
• 1.036 OPS
• 9.2 WAR
defining moment
• in what may be the greatest single-game performance in mlb history, ohtani went 5-for-5 with three home runs and two stolen bases on his way to becoming the first player in mlb history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season
what they said
• “It’s going to really test his patience and discipline. Knowing that he’s waited his entire life, essentially, to be in Major League postseason. It’s going to be fascinating to watch.” – Dodgers manager dave roberts
2024 Topps Dynasty Black Game-Used Batting Glove Auto-Relic #DB-2 Shohei Ohtani 1/1
A Superstar on the Precipice of Immortality
Now 30 years old, Shohei Ohtani finally makes his bow in October. With the top-seeded Dodgers favored to reach the World Series, Ohtani will have plenty of opportunity to etch his name in MLB playoff history. Who knows what the most enthralling baseball player in a century has in store for us? And that’s just the point – with Ohtani, more than anyone we’ve ever seen play the game, we can feel free to expect precisely the unexpected.
