Shohei Ohtani the $600 million Japanese who revolutionized MLB for the United States

Distort me It is a rare bird in the world of professional baseball. Japanese who works in Los Angeles AngelsHe starred for five years in Major League Baseball with an extraordinary combination of skills as a pitcher and hitter that made him the most complete player in the league. MLB And they put him on the door to getting a big contract.

On Tuesday, in the duel in which his team beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2, Ohtani gave another example of his value: he became the first American League player in nearly 60 years to hit two home runs and hit 10 opposing players in the same game. The last to achieve this was Cuban Pedro Ramos, with the Cleveland Indians, in a duel against the Angels on July 31, 1963.

In addition to Otani and RamosOnly four men have achieved the feat in the 121-year history of Major League Baseball: Baltimore Orioles’ Milt Pappas (1961); Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies (1971); Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants (2017); and Zack Greinke, of the Arizona Diamondbacks (2019).

“We are seeing things every day that we have never seen before and that should not be taken lightly. I don’t think many people can do that.”detained Phil NivenCalifornia team manager about his star work that He has 28 home runs this season and leads MLB in that division.

This Japanese exhibition occurred during one of its best months since its arrival in the United States and during the final year of its contract with Angels. Although negotiations have been intense for months, The player has not yet reached a renewal agreement with the franchiseputting him just a few months away from becoming the most sought-after free agent in the league.

According to the estimates of specialists, Ohtani, who was the most-selected player in the American League in the first phase of voting for the July 11th All-Star Game, has already secured the designated hitter position in that event, yeahHe will be the first baseball player to sign a multi-year contract worth $600 million or moreeither with angels, or with some other concession.

Although he is only 28 years old (he will turn 29 next Wednesday), the Japanese has already had a long and distinguished career in baseball, which is a very popular sport in his country. He started excelling at Hanamaki Higashi High School, Iwate Prefecture, where he honed his hitting and hitting skills under the guidance of Coach Sasaki Hiroshiwho predicted when he was a skinny and lanky boy of fifteen that one day he would be able to throw a ball at 100 miles per hour (161 km/h).

obtained in 2014, When he was 19 years old and was playing his second season in the Pacific League with the Nippon-Ham Fighters. During the five years he served his country, he was a hero and 2016 MVP, a three-time All-Star Game participant, and demonstrated his versatility: twice as the starting pitcher and once as a designated hitter.

With that windfall, he made it to the big leagues: On December 9, 2017, he signed with the Angels as an international free agent and was immediately considered the #1 prospect in All-American Professional Baseball for the 2018 season by MLB. For the first time, in a 6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics on the 29th. March 2018, he has achieved more than the expectations that were created around him. He started 10 games for his team, striking out 63 opponents, hitting in 113 games, hitting 22 home runs, driving in 61 runs batted in and 59.

Despite the fact that his team was far from fighting for the playoffs that season, the Japanese was voted American League Rookie of the Year. This distinguished sports work had a commercial relationship: A jersey bearing his last name and number 17 was the eighth best seller in MLB and fourth in the American League.

Despite some ups and downs and some injuries that affected him, his performances continued to skyrocket in the years following this stellar debut. In 2021 he was unanimously voted the MLS Most Valuable Player and in 2022 he finished second in voting, behind only Aaron Judge.From the New York Yankees. During those two years, he was elected to the All-Star Game as a pitcher and as a position player, a unique situation in MLB history.

All of this was achieved by being part of a losing team, as the Angels finished the season with a negative record in the five years the Japanese had been in their ranks. Only this season did the trend reverse: they finished second in the MLS West Divisionbehind the Texas Rangers, and dream of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Although his team has not yet been allowed to fight for a title in the major leagues, the Japanese had the opportunity to celebrate in style with his national team in March this year, when he became the champion of the tournaments. The World Baseball Classic defeated the United States 3-2 in the final. The score that gave the Asians the title was achieved by Ohtani striking out Mike Trott, a fellow Angels teammate.

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