“Believe in your talents, your achievements and your potential.” Shohei Ohtani was born on July 5, 1994 in Oshu, Japan, the youngest of 3 children between former athletes Kayoko and Toru Ohtani. His father was a semi-professional outfielder in the Japan Industrial League. His mother competed in badminton at the national level. They both gave him an ordinary and gentle upbringing. He became interested in baseball by watching a team play on the diamond. After enrolling in the Ichinoseki Little Senior Association, his father Toru obtained permission to coach the club. He taught her to throw with clean technique, placing her fingers firmly on the seams. He taught him to hit with the solid part of the bat, controlled to the right or left. He taught her never to take her anger out on the helmet or the bat; he wanted to teach him the value of things and not lower the morale of his team. Thus he became a yakyū shōnen: a boy who lives, eats and breathes baseball. He wanted to become the best prospect in the nation. In junior high he recorded all but one putout in the regional championship game. Under coach Hiroshi Sasaki, he lived on campus and visited his family only six days a year. They assigned him to clean bathrooms to teach him humility. He excelled in baseball and swimming, with enough speed to aspire to the Olympics. He used the Harada method of personal growth to identify eight areas that he needed to develop as a person and an athlete. He updated his goals 16 times throughout his career. Winning the CY Young at 22 . Throwing the fastest pitch in the world at 25 . Winning his third World Series at 34. Retire at 40 years old. He wowed the world after throwing 99 mph at age 18. With interest from the Rangers, Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers, he was determined to make the leap to the United States. He wanted to be the first Japanese high school graduate to sign directly with an MLB team. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, however, took him in the first round of their 2012 Draft. Fearless manager Hideki Kuriyama sprung into action. He introduced the “Plan to Realize Shohei Ohtani’s Dream” to the family. He proved that all the successful Japanese in the MLB went through the Japan Baseball League first, avoiding wasting time in the minor leagues. He was allowed to be the only nito-ryu – pitcher and hitter – in the league. Dodgers, his preferred option in the #MLB, did not do the same. He announced his decision to stay in Japan. The old guard resented his audacity to dream of America before going through his league. They were betting on his failure. He was 6’4”, but weighed 190 pounds. He attacked the gym. He gained weight. His batting practice sounded like rifle shots. He would arrive early for training—smiling and humble—for bullpen and batting practice. He studied two scouting reports per game. He followed a regimen of training, recovery and nutrition to achieve his unthinkable goal. He couldn’t go out, not even for dinner, because of the harassment from the media. He won the Japan Series in 2016 as the Pacific League’s best pitcher, designated hitter and MVP. After five seasons in Japan, he signed with the Anaheim Angels for $30 million. He debuted by striking out 6 batters in 6 innings. He averaged .285 batting, .361 on base, 22 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases. No one since Bate Ruth in 1919 had pitched 50 innings and hit 15 home runs in a season. He was named American League Rookie of the Year. In 2018 he underwent Tommy John surgery, the most feared by pitchers. In 2019 against the Rays, he hit the cycle with a single, double, triple and home run in one game. Injuries frustrated him in 2019 and made him feel worthless in 2020. He transformed his diet. He strengthened his lower trunk. He used metrics and technology to optimize his training and recovery. In 2021 he faced Juan Soto in the first round of the Home Run Derby, the first Japanese and first starting pitcher to do so. They went to double swing off in overtime. He beat Soto. Shohei donated his $150,000 prize money to the Angels staff. In 2021 it was voted the greatest sports season of all time. He led Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He was decisive in the ninth inning in the semifinal against Mexico. In the final against the United States, he faced his teammate Mike Trout. He was crowned champion after striking him out. Today, at the age of 28, the most talented player in baseball history prepares with humility and silence. What is #ThePriceOfSuccess? No one knows this better than #ShoheiOhtani. _________________________________________________ Host: Rudy Jacinto – https://twitter.com/ParadojaNFL _________________________________________________ The #MLB isn’t over and neither are we! Follow us on: 💻 youtube.com/precionfl 📲 https://tiktok.com/@precionfl 🏈 https://facebook.com/precionfl 🤳 https://instagram.com/precionfl 🐦 https://twitter.com/precionfl 🎧 https://bit.ly/precionflpodcast
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