baseball

Shohei Ohtani: Japan's baseball 'Frankenstein' enjoying monster success

16 Comments
By Andrew McKIRDY

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Instead, he signed with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2013 and spent five seasons there before joining the Angels.

This. I was so fired up when he was just days away from signing a MLB contract straight outta high school. Then the Japanese old boys in NPB somehow made him do a 180 at the last second.

He was red hot out of high school and I'm sure he would've been smoking had he gone to the US six years ago. He'd already have or be on the way to a lot of records.

I'm glad he's a monster there now but I can only just imagine if this were his 7th year rather than his first in MLB.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"Frankenstein" comes across as a little negative and freakish. I prefer to use the term "unicorn" to describe Ohtani.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

A once a century talent. Am hoping he has a long injury free career. He might be the only thing that could get me back to being a baseball fan again.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I like that he picks up garbage. Sure wish the majority of Japanese people that litter everywhere would do so.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Great player. MVP!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Its been a pretty lousy news year all around, but reading about Ohtani has been a nice break from that for us baseball fans. I hope he has a great 2022 season too.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I like that he picks up garbage. Sure wish the majority of Japanese people that litter everywhere would do so.

Go to a Japan baseball game and a game in the U.S. or stadium in most other countries if you want to see who is good about picking up garbage.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Whiting is practically dripping with gaijin superiority complex when he says 'When you look at Ohtani, the image of the Japanese as physically smaller or inferior people just disappear'.

Seriously? The year is 2021 and Ichiro won the MVP TWENTY YEARS AGO, Matsui won the World Series MVP 12 years ago, Hideo Nomo was an All-Star 25 years ago. I think the HS players in Japan today know full well that they can compete at the highest levels. Ohtani insisted on playing both even when he signed with MLB. If he truly thought of himself as inferior, he would have never even tried to go to MLB, let alone insist on both hitting and pitching. And Japan won the first two World Baseball Classics, the first one close to 15 years ago and the second one over twelve years ago.

I guess they just had to find an old (close to 80 years old) white guy to opine on Ohtani for the sake of the largely white, older MLB audience.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

He had a great season and is deserving of all the accolades but his season is over. Glad the Angels didn't make it because it would be unbearable dealing with the over coverage on Japanese media how their "fans" would suddenly pop up everywhere. It's good that as a real fan of the sport I won't have to be bombarded all day every day during the playoffs and World Series with articles like this too. Enjoy it but it was only ONE season.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

I always said that Ichiro was the world's baseball GOAT.

Another season like this and we will probably have to proclaim Ohtani as GOAT!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Whiting is practically dripping with gaijin superiority complex when he says 'When you look at Ohtani, the image of the Japanese as physically smaller or inferior people just disappear'.

I don't think its fair to slam Whiting for that comment. That ugly sentiment is still unfortunately alive in the discourse in the US and he is clearly pushing back against it, not supporting it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"It's no surprise that Ohtani's every move is headline news back in Japan"

Nope. Not if you live here. A half hour of news has become 25 minutes of Shohei Ohtani and the other five stuff that actually matters.

"... and his achievements a matter of national pride."

Which is weird, since it is HE who accomplished it, not the nation, and definitely not the people sitting at home watching. Why do people become so proud of things they have zero to do with? The guy is amazing (not sure "Frankenstein" is apt -- makes it sound like he was created rather than running off his own talent), but saying that to Old Man Taro downstairs shouldn't make him beam with pride and pat himself on the back anymore than if I said Babe Ruth was amazing too... and yet, Old Man Taro DOES beam with pride, as if he himself were Ohtani, or the latter's talent has something to do with his passport.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Just about every athlete, in just about every sport, shares pride with her/his hometown...

Just take a look at how well received Manny Pacquiao, Fernando Tatis, Djokovich, Ronaldo, Olympic gold medalists, Tiger Woods, Pele, (the list is endless) are celebrated by their fans. In fact, many of these athletes are literally quoted as saying that they are happy to bring pride to their countries.

Which is weird, since it is HE who accomplished it, not the nation, and definitely not the people sitting at home watching. Why do people become so proud of things they have zero to do with?

? uh, what are you on about...

he guy is amazing (not sure "Frankenstein" is apt -- makes it sound like he was created rather than running off his own talent), but saying that to Old Man Taro downstairs shouldn't make him beam with pride and pat himself on the back anymore than if I said Babe Ruth was amazing too... and yet, Old Man Taro DOES beam with pride, as if he himself were Ohtani, or the latter's talent has something to do with his passport.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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