9781422269831

BALLPARK GREATS PRO BASEBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

SHOHEI OHTANI

BALLPARK GREATS PRO BASEBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

Aaron Judge Bryce Harper Shohei Ohtani

Christian Yelich Justin Verlander Max Scherzer Mike Trout Nolan Arenado

BALLPARK GREATS PRO BASEBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

SHOHEI OHTANI

JEREMY PIKE

MASON CREST MIAMI

Mason Crest PO Box 221876 Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4839-3 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4836-2 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-6983-1

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress

Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Andrew Luke Production: Crafted Content, LLC (www.craftedcontentllc.com)

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Greatest Moments . . . . . . 7 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top . . . 21 Chapter 3: On the Diamond . . . . . . 35 Chapter 4: Words Count . . . . . . . . 49 Chapter 5: Off the Diamond . . . . . . 61

Series Glossary of Key Terms . . . 72 Further Reading & Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Author Biography & Credits . . . . 79

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

bygone: past; gone by

relic: a trace of some past or outmoded practice, custom, or belief

whirlwind: used in similes and metaphors to describe a very energetic or tumultuous process

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Chapter 1

Greatest Moments In the early years of Major League Baseball (MLB), there were plenty of ‘two-way’ players—those who pitched regularly (and well) while also hitting well. However, the prevalence of players skilled at both pitching and hitting declined early in the 20 th century and had been widely regarded as a relic of a bygone era for decades. As a result, modern players almost exclusively specialize in one or the other. However, Shohei Ohtani has single-handedly revitalized the concept of the two-way player. Hailing from Oshu, Japan, an 18-year-old Ohtani played in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) organization with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters starting in 2013 and continuing through 2017. His performance, both at the plate and on the mound, was enough to catch the eyes of MLB scouts, and by late 2017, multiple MLB teams pursued the international star. The real question was, would his success in Japan translate to the Major League diamond? Batters like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui were able to make the transition, while pitchers such as Daisuke Matsuzaka, Yu Darvish, and Masahiro Tanaka did the same. Yet, would trying to make the jump to MLB in

7

both disciplines work? Was there even a place in MLB for any player attempting to succeed as a pitcher and a hitter? While pitchers in the National League (NL) have to take at-bats when they play, Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels of the American League (AL), a league that uses a designated hitter (DH) in place of the pitcher in the batting order. While at first that seemed to be an odd choice since Ohtani wanted to hit regularly along with pitching, he knew that the Angels could conceivably put him in the lineup as a DH in games when he wasn’t pitching. From Opening Day of 2018 until the end of the 2022 season, Ohtani has proven that it is possible to be a high-caliber pitcher while also starring at the plate. From hitting a single in his first MLB at-bat and getting a win in his first start to earning the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2021 and finishing second in the award’s voting for 2022, Ohtani has become a massive baseball star in the United States. Along the way, there have been memorable moments and records broken.

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Shohei Ohtani

Greatest Career Moments

Here is a look at some of Ohtani’s greatest moments so far in his MLB career

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

First MLB Start On Sunday, April 1, 2018, Ohtani was tabbed for his first career start, taking the mound against the Oakland Athletics. The first inning went smoothly as he retired all three batters in order while striking out two. However, there was some concern that his first start could come to an early end after Ohtani gave up a loud three-run homer in the second, leaving the Angels trailing 3-2. However, he returned for the third inning and appeared to settle down. Ohtani pitched six complete innings in his first start, striking out a total of six batters while only walking one. He only allowed three hits, one of which was that three-run shot in the second. He also registered at least 100 mph on the radar gun twice, once in the first inning and once in the second. So, if folks

weren’t sure the reports from Japan that he could throw in the triple digits were true, they were sure now.

Ohtani strikes out six to earn his first career win in his first career start.

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Shohei Ohtani

First Career Home Run A new player always wants to make a good impression the first time they come to the plate in front of the home crowd. Ohtani certainly did that in his first game in Los Angeles against Cleveland. He stepped into the batter’s box in a pressure-packed situation — bottom of the first inning in a 2-2 ball game with the bases loaded and two outs. The at-bat took a turn when Josh Tomlin, Cleveland’s pitcher, uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Kole Calhoun to score from third and the other runners to advance. That didn’t matter much, however. After working the count to 2-2, Ohtani launched a shot that cleared the right-centerfield wall and found the seats for a three-run home run (HR). His whirlwind of an at-bat didn’t end there

as Ohtani’s teammates gave him the so-called “silent treatment” until he bear-hugged Ian Kinsler from behind and was subsequently mobbed in celebration. He was even ushered back out of the dugout to give the fans a tip of the helmet.

Ohtani hits a three-run homer in his first home at-bat.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

American League Rookie of the Year While Ohtani made headlines in the first week of his rookie season, he wasn’t done by a long shot. Ohtani became only the second player in MLB history, after Babe Ruth, to pitch in 10 games while also hitting 20 homers in the same season. Anytime a name is mentioned in the same sentence as a legend like Babe Ruth, a player must have done something spectacular. Over the course of the season (before an elbow injury shut down Ohtani as a pitcher), he struck out 63 batters in 51 2/3 innings pitched while maintaining a 3.31 earned run average (ERA). Even after the elbow injury diagnosis, he continued to hit. Ohtani hit 22 home runs with a .285 batting average, 61 RBI, and even stole 10 bases.

Ohtani received all but five of the 30 first-place votes for AL MVP, beating out the New York Yankees’ pair of rookies, Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar.

Shohei Ohtani discusses his favorite memories from his rookie season.

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Shohei Ohtani

2021 American League Most Valuable Player Ohtani’s status as a two-way star was in serious jeopardy as his elbow injury required reconstructive surgery, also known as Tommy John surgery. While it did not rob him of the ability to hit, he did not throw a single pitch in 2019 and pitched only 1 2/3 innings in 2020. That made the 2021 season that much sweeter for Ohtani and the Angels. He hit 46 homers, more than doubling his rookie total of 22. He also posted a .257 average while reaching the 100 RBI mark for the first time in a season and scored 103 runs. Additionally, he had 26 stolen bases and doubles. Yet, it was Ohtani’s performance on the mound that put him over the top. He started 23 games,

had a record of 9-2, and posted a 3.18 ERA while striking out 156 batters and walking just 44. Voters concurred that the season was historical, giving him all 30 first-place votes for AL MVP.

Watch this statistical breakdown of Ohtani’s dominant MVP-caliber 2021 season.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

100 th Career Home Run

On May 14, 2022, the Angels and Athletics met for a doubleheader in Oakland. Ohtani entered the day game sitting one long ball away from career homer number 100. It took until the fifth inning of the night game, but Ohtani would not be denied that day. Adam Oller’s first pitch was a 93 mph sinker that never fooled Ohtani, who hit it over the left-centerfield wall for a two-run homer. That blast made Ohtani only the third Japanese-born MLB player to reach the mark, trailing Hideki Matsui’s 175 and Ichiro Suzuki’s 117. Out of the three, Ohtani was the fastest to 100, accomplishing the feat in 444 games.

The homer also made history in another way. Ohtani became only the second player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs and strike out 250 in a career. Only Babe Ruth had accomplished those numbers before Ohtani.

Ohtani’s 100 th career home run was one for the record books.

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Shohei Ohtani

25 HR s and 150 K s In 2021, 65 players in MLB hit at least 25 homers. Ohtani hit 46, but once he eclipsed 25, he set himself up for an incredible accomplishment. On July 27, he stepped up to the plate against Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks in the top of the ninth inning. Facing a 2-1 count with the Angels holding a slim 1-0 lead, Ohtani hit an opposite-field shot that barely cleared the leftfield fence. Almost three months to the day later, Ohtani was on the mound for a start against the Seattle Mariners on September 26 th . In the third inning, he struck out J.P. Crawford, his 150 th strikeout (K) of the season. That meant Ohtani was the first player in MLB history to hit at least 25 homers and strike out at least 150 batters in the same season. The craziest part of the story is that he did it again in 2022.

Ohtani strikes out J.P. Crawford for his 150 th K of the 2021 season.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

First Career Grand Slam For all the accolades Ohtani had coming from Japan, there was one feat he never accomplished at the plate there. He had never hit a home run with the bases loaded. Against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 9, 2022, he finally did just that. After hitting a homer earlier in the game, Ohtani came up in the bottom of the 7 th with three runners on in a 7-3 game. He worked Calvin Faucher, who was making his MLB debut, to a 3-1 count before launching an 88 mph cutter into the visitor’s bullpen in left field. Ohtani had a rough start to the season at the plate, but this was his sixth HR of the season. Coming into the game against the Rays, Ohtani had a .235 batting average and had failed to register a hit in 11 out of 30 games to start the season.

However, he certainly took a big step in the

right direction that game, going 3-4 at the plate with the two home runs and five RBI.

Ohtani hits his first-ever grand slam.

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Shohei Ohtani