50 Fun Facts About Shohei Ohtani

What nickname is Shohei Ohtani known by?

His jerseys have outsold every other player's worldwide since 2023.

Which NPB team drafted Ohtani first overall in 2012?

He played there from 2013 to 2017 as both a pitcher and an outfielder.

In which Japanese prefecture was Ohtani born?

He was born in Mizusawa, now part of the city of Ōshū, on July 5, 1994.

Ohtani's mother Kayoko competed at national level in high school in which sport?

His father Toru played amateur baseball in the Japanese Industrial League.

Ohtani is the youngest of how many children?

His older brother Ryuta also plays amateur baseball in the Industrial League.

Which high school did Ohtani choose, staying local rather than joining a big-city powerhouse?

Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, whom he admired, had gone there before him.

What chore did coach Hiroshi Sasaki assign Ohtani in high school to teach humility?

Players lived on campus and went home only six days a year.

Besides baseball, which sport did Ohtani compete in at high school?

His coach said he was fast enough to have been an Olympic swimmer.

How fast was the record high-school fastball Ohtani threw in 2012?

Rōki Sasaki beat the Japanese high school mark with 101 mph in 2018.

Which pitcher had previously worn the No. 11 jersey Ohtani was given by the Fighters?

The Fighters won him over by promising to let him pitch and hit.

How many MLB teams did Ohtani narrow his finalists to before signing with the Angels in 2017?

The Angels paid the Fighters a $20 million posting fee on top of his bonus.

Ohtani's 2014 double of 10 wins and 10 homers had last been done in pro baseball in which year?

Babe Ruth won 13 and hit 11 for that season's Boston Red Sox.

Ohtani's 101 mph pitch in October 2014 tied whose record for the fastest by an NPB pitcher?

The pitch shattered Ginji Akaminai's bat in half.

In which year did Ohtani win the Japan Series with the Fighters?

That season he hit .322 with 22 homers and posted a 1.86 ERA on the mound.

Where did Ohtani choose to live during his five seasons with the Fighters?

His parents oversaw his finances during those years.

What signing bonus did Ohtani get from the Angels, capped because he was under 25?

The Angels also paid a $20 million posting fee to the Fighters.

What was Ohtani's ERA in his first two spring training games against major leaguers in 2018?

He gave up three homers in 2.2 innings and many writers wrote him off.

Which award did Ohtani win in November 2018, weeks after elbow surgery?

He underwent Tommy John surgery on October 1 that year.

In June 2019 Ohtani became the first Japanese-born MLB player to do what?

It came against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 13.

Ohtani's 2019 season ended early with surgery on what?

He needed a bipartite patella repaired after hitting 18 homers that year.

How many home runs did Ohtani hit in his first MVP season, 2021?

He also struck out 156 batters as a pitcher that year.

Ohtani's 2021 MVP made him the first winner at which position?

He was also the 23rd pitcher to win the award.

What special honour did the Commissioner give Ohtani for his unprecedented 2021 season?

It recognised a two-way season with no statistical precedent.

The 2022 'Ohtani rule' lets a starting pitcher in the batting order do what after leaving the mound?

He used it on Opening Day 2022 against Houston, striking out nine.

How many batters did Ohtani strike out in 2022, ranking third in the AL?

That total ranked third in the American League.

Whom did Ohtani strike out to end the 2023 World Baseball Classic final?

Trout, his Angels teammate and the US captain, went down on a full count in a 3-2 win.

Japan's 2023 WBC title was the country's how-manyeth?

Ohtani was named tournament MVP.

In May 2023 Ohtani passed Babe Ruth on the all-time list for what?

His 502nd strikeout victim was Houston's Jeremy Peña.

Ohtani led the AL with how many home runs in 2023, the first Japanese-born player to win a homer title?

He also won 10 games as a pitcher before his elbow gave out in August.

Which outstanding-DH honour did Ohtani win three straight times through 2023?

In 2021 he was the first pitcher, first Japanese player and first Angel to win it.

What was the total value of Ohtani's December 2023 Dodgers contract?

At signing it was the largest contract in professional sports history.

How much of Ohtani's annual Dodgers salary is deferred until after the contract ends?

He takes home just $2 million a season from 2024 to 2033; the rest is paid 2034-2043.

Why could Ohtani not pitch at all in 2024?

He played only as a designated hitter and still won MVP.

What milestone did Ohtani become the first MLB player ever to reach in 2024?

He did it in his first season without pitching.

Whose 40-40 record did Ohtani break in 2024 by reaching the mark in his 126th game?

He beat Soriano's 2006 pace by 21 games.

Ohtani's first career walk-off homer in August 2024 was what kind of hit?

It came off Colin Poche of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In his record-setting September 19, 2024 game against Miami, how many RBI did Ohtani drive in?

He had six hits, including three homers, and stole two bases.

In Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, Ohtani was hurt sliding into second; what was the injury?

He was back in the lineup the next game as the Dodgers beat the Yankees in five.

How many MVP awards had Ohtani won unanimously after the 2024 season?

He is the only player with unanimous MVPs in both leagues.

What breed is Ohtani's dog Dekopin, also known as Decoy?

The dog received an honorary visa from the US Embassy in Tokyo.

Ohtani's wife Mamiko Tanaka formerly played which sport professionally?

He first described her only as 'a normal Japanese woman'.

Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's long-time interpreter, was charged in 2024 with what?

He had known Ohtani since 2013 and also served as conditioning coach and throwing partner.

Roughly how much did ESPN find had been wired from Ohtani's account to a bookmaker in 2024?

Mizuhara pleaded guilty and Ohtani was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ohtani's 2025 season opened against the Cubs in which city?

It was his first game in Japan as a major leaguer.

How many home runs did Ohtani hit in 2025 to set the Dodgers' single-season record?

The 55th came in the final regular-season game against Seattle.

Against which team did Ohtani pitch six shutout innings and hit three homers in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS?

The Dodgers swept the series and he was named NLCS MVP.

Ohtani's first World Series homer in 2025 made him the second Japanese-born player to hit one, after whom?

Matsui did it for the Yankees in 2003.

In Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, how many of Ohtani's five walks were intentional?

He also had two doubles and two homers in the game.

How many times had Ohtani been named AP Male Athlete of the Year through 2025?

He won in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Ohtani's four-seam fastball has topped out at what speed?

He pairs it with a forkball that dives late and a slider in the high 80s.