“I Want to Do both..I Really Want To..”: Long Before Injury Forced Him off the Mound, Shohei Ohtani Always Wanted to Be a Two-Way Player

There is always one who’s got it all. Baseball has witnessed several legends, perfect in their kind, but no one got it like the Japanese sensation. Los Angeles Angels star performer, Shohei Ohtani has been a remarkable player throughout the stories of baseball. Ohtani had truly mastered the game and rewrote the rules like never before. 

Since the time Ohtani started playing, many have known that he possesses the qualities of both a pitcher and a hitter. Picking one would never be an option for the two-way phenom. Twist in the tale, what made him not pitch in 2024? It’s his widely known John Tommy surgery. However, young Ohtani revealed his intentions long back in the book, “The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-Way Japanese Superstar”.

Shohei Ohtani’s elbow injury: The reason he couldn’t pitch 

Young Ohtani did not start playing baseball to be the best hitter or the best pitcher. He wanted to be the best in both. The Shotime envisioned a future where he is excelling in both facets of baseball. Back to today, Ohtani did make the dream come true and is one of the greatest players of the season. But what if the two-way player had to ditch one of his skills? 

When the Japanese player was a part of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, he was asked to give up his one skill. On page 20, Ohtani’s account read, “It’s not like ‘I want to be a pitcher and hit, or that I am a batter who also pitches, that’s not it. I want to do both”.

“Since I began playing ball when I was little, I’ve wanted to do both. I started playing baseball not thinking, I really want to be a great player as a pitcher, or I want to be a great player as a hitter“, Ohtani added. Somewhere down the line, the player knew he was going to be different from others.

However, the Angels player went down with an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow in late August. Although post Shohei’s John Tommy surgery, the doctor said the two-way phenom is can hit the next season but his pitching has to wait till 2025. The 29-year-old is hitting free agency this winter and many are speculating a $500 million deal, the greatest of all, very soon.

As the two-way superstar will not be pitching in the next season, many clubs are acquiring him for his amazing on-the-field skills, not to forget his incredible hitting style. 

The story behind Ohtani’s opposite-field hitting style 

When young Ohtani used to play in Mizusawa Pirates near a river, the left-handed hitter consistently ran over the right field. Due to which the ball repeatedly splashed into the river, which started costing much to the coach. Here, when the coach advised Ohtani to hit the opposite-field, the hitter took it sportingly and started hitting on the left field. That’s when the Japanese sensation started enjoying the opposite-field hitting. 

Read More: Shohei Ohtani Unsurprisingly Dominates Top Free Agency List, Despite Pitching Unavailability Impacting His 2024 Season

Baseball fans, and even the players are witnessing something beyond their imagination. All credit goes to Shohei Ohtani.

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