The Summer of Shohei

19 December 2024

Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani, who made headlines with his $700m contract for the LA Dodgers, ended 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award for the third time, tying him with basketball great Michael Jordan.

He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.

Todd Harris spoke to journalist Tomoya Shimura about the 30-year-old sensation. In Japan, said Shimura, Ohtani has almost unimaginable fame. “People wake up early to watch his games… from kids, to even like 100 year old grandparents… They follow his every move… Ohtani is constantly on TV from morning news, to gossip shows during the day and then in evening news, even the days he's not even playing games, he's still on TV and commercials.”

Ohtani and the LA Dodgers faced down and saw off the New York Yankees in the MLB World Series – a match made in heaven, according to Tomoya. “The Yankees, the Dodgers, it couldn't have been better for baseball… and it happened on this first year that Shohei Ohtani was [playing for] the Dodgers and he accomplished 50/50… it's a dream scenario for baseball… I have a feeling that this could, you know, revitalize the popularity of baseball in the United States.”
Japanese players have made a huge impact in the MLB, to the detriment perhaps of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Yet Shimura argued that the high profile of Japanese baseball stars in the US game brings benefits to the sport in their home nation. “For baseball in Japan, I think it's a good thing… People are paying a lot more attention to baseball because people consider playing in the United States as the as the highest achievement.”

Ohtani’s $700m price tag has recently been eclipsed by Juan Soto’s $765m contract with Mets. While Shimura doesn’t think that was the best deal Mets boss Steve Cohen has ever made, he told Todd that, despite Ohtani’s shoulder injury, the Japanese star’s signature could well be invaluable for the Dodgers. “He's one of the best pitchers,” Tomoya explained. “And he's also the best hitters: that combination is what sets him apart. And, you know, even some people say it's better than Babe Ruth. [Ohtani] told Andrew Friedman [the Dodgers president] after winning the World Series… he wants to win every single year.”

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