I think even now, he plays with the mind of an elementary school kid who loves baseball. SASAKI: (Through interpreter) No matter what the results are for him, his team's victory simply makes him happy. Catcher Ryuki Sasaki says that Ohtani's love of baseball is one thing about him that has not changed. KUHN: Kobayashi says that anyone who has ever had fun playing baseball as a kid will be reminded of it when they see Ohtani play. So Ohtani has continued to enjoy baseball the whole time. But Coach Asari let his players grow freely.
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NOBUYA KOBAYASHI: (Through interpreter) Most Japanese baseball players train hard how to play, suppress their own feelings, be patient and practice exactly as their coach says. The drills are great for technique, says Kobayashi, but they're not much fun. KUHN: In Mizusawa, the kids practice catching runners in one rundown after another.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken). UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken). He says that in Japan, Little Leaguers hone their skills by doing repetitive drills. That's unusual, says Nobuya Kobayashi, a sports journalist and author of a book about Ohtani. He says that for his team, having fun is more important than winning. He just came here to practice, and he looked like he was really having fun. KUHN: Coach Asari is pleased at how his former player is doing in the U.S., but he doesn't take any credit for it.ĪSARI: (Through interpreter) He made it big all due to his own efforts. In the beginning, I couldn't catch his pitches at all. Also, his slider curves too much, and my body couldn't react in time. RYUKI SASAKI: (Through interpreter) I had never caught a ball from a pitcher who could throw it more than 87 miles per hour. One person who found that out was Ryuki Sasaki (ph), Ohtani's catcher in high school.
He pitched blazing fastballs and baffling sliders that were hard to hit. KUHN: But it was obvious early on that Ohtani wasn't just a talented hitter. UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: And Ohtani with a drive - left field, hit well. KUHN: That skill has served Ohtani well, including in this game against the Texas Rangers last week. I think that was when he found the fun of opposite field hitting.
He shot me a dagger-like look and then hit his next homer to left field. SHOJI ASARI: (Through interpreter) So I jokingly told him, don't pull your hits, Shohei. He says the cost of the lost baseballs began to add up. Coach Shoji Asari remembers how Ohtani, who bats left-handed, often homered over the right field fence and into a river. He played here between the ages of 8 and 14. Mizusawa is Ohtani's hometown in northern Japan's Iwate prefecture. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).ĪNTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Ohtani's former Little League team, the Mizusawa Pirates, warm up at a weekend practice. NPR's Anthony Kuhn traced Ohtani's roots back to northern Japan and reports on some of the people and places that contributed to his rise. That's how unprecedented Ohtani's career has been so far. That's when he was still a member of the Red Sox.
The last time a Major League Baseball player has come close to hitting and pitching as well as Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani has in the same season was legendary icon Babe Ruth over a hundred years ago.
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