He appeared like a bolt from the blue

into the world of Major League Baseball.

A formidable pitcher and batter,

a two-way player unseen in the modern game.

"Ohtani-san, ganbare!"

The name of this miraculous player?

Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani is a heavy hitter aiming to become a home run king,

and throws a fastball clocking in at over 160 kilometers per hour.

He broke numerous records during the 2021 season.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

He's earned multiple awards, including the American League MVP.

And he shows no signs of slowing down.

What a curve!

This success did not come easy.

Every day, I worried about not performing well.

But Ohtani never stopped moving forward.

Training each day shows me areas where I can still improve.

It's been four years since he entered the major league.

Through nearly ten hours of interviews,

we explore what makes Shohei Ohtani who he is.

"SHOHEI OHTANI: A Baseball Virtuoso"

(Chapter 1: The Legend Begins)

I love batting, pitching, defense, running, all of it.

When I became a pro, I didn't want to pick just one.

It's so much fun doing new things. I enjoy it a lot.

I want to do what no one else has done,

try my hand at something new.

(December 2017)

Ohtani arrived in the US at age 23.

Hi. My name is Shohei Ohtani.

I thought about what could take me to a higher level of play.

Joining MLB was the best option to achieve that.

No one knows what will happen if you do something different than others.

If playing two ways didn't work out, it'd still be a good experience.

It seemed more interesting to try something new.

Ohtani wanted to be a two-way player,

something said to be impossible in modern baseball.

The media cast doubt on his aspirations.

You know, I think there was a great deal of curiosity

when he first came to the Angels,

and I think there was a lot of skepticism too, that, you know,

what's this thing about a two-way player, and all of that.

One must go back a century in the history of MLB

to find a successful two-way player.

The legendary Babe Ruth.

He was a double threat, with records largely unmatched to this day.

He's doing it against a much greater pool of talent

than Babe Ruth ever had to face,

and he's done it, you know, this idea that we would

have a two-way player at a time when sports is really

more trending toward the age of specialization.

I think that makes it even more special, what Shohei is doing.

Ohtani's debut season,

when the legend of this new two-way player began.

Sho time!

His first start as pitcher resulted in a win.

And he hit home runs in three games in a row after his first home at bat.

Ohtani finished the season with 22 home runs, 4 wins on the mound,

and an earned run average of 3.31.

He was voted American League Rookie of the Month twice,

then Rookie of the Year, winning the hearts of fans.

Ohtani-san, ganbare!

Oh, just fantastic.

I told my grandkids that we saw history.

The first player in almost 100 years.

Through these achievements, Ohtani silenced any doubts about his abilities.

I think most people expected me to fail. How can I put it?

I wanted to lay the groundwork for the next person.

Even if I wasn't totally successful, and I don't think I've succeeded yet,

I wanted to do well enough to inspire someone else to give it a shot.

From his first year,

Ohtani showed everyone it was possible to be a two-way player.

But behind the scenes were many challenges.

(Chapter 2: Hidden Trials)

Every day, I worried about not performing well.

Outside of baseball, everything was going as well as it had for me in Japan.

So baseball was really my key concern.

Ohtani's first struggle in MLB came during the 2018 preseason.

His pitches were being hit hard, and his earned run average was 27.

Meanwhile, his batting average was in the low hundreds.

Why wasn't I performing well? I had to find out the reason.

I was excited to be in MLB, and I was more motivated than ever.

I don't think I was being too reserved. I could strike that off the list.

What else could it be?

Why wasn't Ohtani performing?

He decided to ask someone for advice.

Normally, I don't like asking for advice. I usually don't approach the coaches.

So I definitely wouldn't ask Ichiro, of all people.

But Ohtani did approach Ichiro,

the 19-year veteran of MLB

who holds the record for most hits in one season.

His words really spoke to me.

He told me to believe in my abilities and achievements, in my potential.

He told me that I have a gift, and that I should trust in it.

So what was my gift? I wasn't a natural, and many players were better than me.

But I believed in myself. I just needed to start winning.

So I started thinking about what to do to get better.

Ohtani started exploring how to do just that.

His interpreter, Mizuhara Ippei,

reveals what Ohtani started doing in the US.

This is data on pitchers from all the teams.

There's also one on batters, about 70% this size.

Data analysis of rival teams, something he didn't do in Japan.

I didn't do it at all in Japan. I wasn't the type to.

My ideal form of batting didn't rely on data.

I wanted to hit a home run on any pitch, any speed, without thinking.

I thought that was the ultimate style, and I didn't use any data.

But after joining MLB, I knew I had to do something different.

At this rate, I might not even be allowed to play.

In order to grow as a player, I needed to study the data.

That's what it's there for.

In order to survive in his new environment, Major League Baseball,

Ohtani had to change his approach.

He rededicated himself to the sport,

shuttling back and forth between the stadium and his home.

(Have you gotten used to the city?)

No, not at all.

Don't know much about the area either.

Don't know where to get on the freeway or where to exit it.

I don't even know what direction Los Angeles is in.

He ate most of his meals at home or the team facilities.

I go home, prepare for the next day, sleep, get up, go to the field and play.

Go home again, sleep, repeat.

(You cook your own breakfast?)

Yes. Always the same, though.

I get eggs and milk from the grocery store, make an omelet, cook rice.

I heard he's number one in MLB.

Yes, I'm confident I make the most omelets in MLB.

Baseball was his life.

But Ohtani soon faced another hurdle.

(Chapter 3: More Challenges)

I spent a week locked in my room. All alone. That's normal, but still...

My mind was blank. Just really felt down.

That hurdle appeared in June 2018,

in a game against the Royals.

After the fourth inning, Shohei said offhand that his elbow might be a bit strained.

I knew he'd be benched if I translated that. I felt a responsibility to do so.

I also knew Shohei wanted to continue. It was tough.

I told the coach, who told the manager. And they took him out.

Shohei was furious. I heard a loud noise from the back.

Everyone was surprised to see Shohei get angry.

Yeah. I was mad.

I wanted to pitch. It was my game.

I was sure I could keep going.

I thought it was natural for me to keep pitching.

An examination revealed damage to a ligament in his right elbow.

He would need to focus on recovery.

I doubt Shohei accepted the diagnosis from the doctor.

It was a shock. He was silent on the ride home.

For a week after that, he wasn't able to work on rehab or training.

He just stayed home. Depressed, or feeling really down.

An elbow injury could mean the end of his career as a pitcher.

Instead, he focused on what he could do, and concentrated on batting.

I didn't allow that feeling to linger. I decided to try to bat better.

That was the only option left for me.

So I really focused on improving my batting.

For the second half of the season, Ohtani played solely as a batter.

He was able to hit his stride,

and in September, his batting average was over 300.

Ohtani ended his first major league season with an elbow injury.

But he had already made a decision about his path to recovery.

I could comfortably throw at around 92 miles per hour.

I was recovered enough to pitch a slider around 80 miles per hour.

But I felt that wasn't my full potential. I wasn't having fun.

I knew getting surgery was possible. It felt like a valid option.

Ohtani wanted to enjoy pitching again.

He decided to undergo elbow surgery.

Its success or failure would determine the future of his pitching career.

He would receive "Tommy John" surgery

to reconstruct the ligament in his right elbow.

His damaged ligament would be removed and replaced with one from his wrist.

Recovery is said to take about half a year for a batter

and at least a year for a pitcher.

You OK?

- Mm-hmm.
- All right.

Stay strong for the cameras.

I'm trying.

Slow, steady rehabilitation allowed his range of motion to return.

Try yourself.

As far as you can.

136 degrees.

He's only like three or four degrees off of perfect, preseason. Yeah.

- More like five or four.
- You're only about four or five degrees off from where you used to be.

OK. Thank you!

You're welcome.

Including the time for surgery, I was given over a year and a half.

I had longer than usual, which was a good thing.

I could rehabilitate steadily, and strengthen where I should.

I wanted to end up better than I was in my first season.

It wasn't about getting back to before. It was about surpassing that.

OK, hang on.

Work on my legs, then my core.

In order to become stronger than ever,

Ohtani worked on his lower body and his core muscles

for nearly two hours each day.

Because he was undergoing rehabilitation,

there were limits to how much he could train.

He searched for a way to make the most of things.

I was told not to push any harder.

It wasn't up to me.

It was something that the team of trainer, manager, and doctor decided.

I think any athlete would want to do more. But we struck a decent balance.

Of course, I wanted to train harder, but there were limits in place.

Hey, watch out!

During this time, Ohtani couldn't even swing a bat.

He goes into the batting cage with nothing in hand.

- Bit low?
- Yeah, maybe.

He traces the ball's trajectory with his eyes.

It was his idea to use this training method.

It's low.

Ball.

No way. It was in?

It was a ball.

He carefully tracks each pitch.

Was that high?

It was in, though.

Probably right at the limit.

Think that was in.

Low.

- How many more? Ten?
- Nine.

He tracks 50 pitches.

Now, it's time to raise the speed.

Hoo, it's fast!

- Almost out.
- Almost?

Center.

Think Ziggy's done.

That was high.

OK.

Following his big debut year, Ohtani had to battle with injury.

But he worked through it.

(Chapter 4: A Positive Spin)

Now, came time for Ohtani's second season.

(March 28, 2019, Opening Day)

I had surgery last year, so I only recently started swinging a bat again.

I was searching for the right form between how I was last year and now.

I'm still searching now, and may continue through the season. I'll just keep trying.

The rehabilitation worked. Ohtani was now permitted to swing freely again.

This season, he's back as a batter.

There's a TV microphone there.

- Where?
- Over there.

Lunch for everyone, please.

They hear that?

Time to eat.

Was it you guys who got the food? Was that you guys? Thank you.

Thank you.

This is the combo?

Yes, those three.

It's the opening game.

Oh, no. No!

That was close.

Let it drop!

Ohtani's been given the OK to swing without restraint.

His blisters are a sign of his happy return.

After the surgery, I couldn't swing a bat or pitch a ball.

It's so satisfying to swing and play catch at full strength again.

I'm really enjoying playing catch.

It's fun to feel improvement each day.

For his third season in 2020, Ohtani's rehab was going well,

and it looked as if he would make his return as pitcher.

But then, something totally unexpected occurred.

The COVID-19 pandemic threw the world into disorder.

That included Major League Baseball.

The season started 4 months late, with only 60 games in total.

With little chance to play practice games, Ohtani was thrust into the season,

ending up with his worst-ever results.

Some in the media asked whether his pitching was a waste of time,

or even suggested that the "pitching experiment" should come to an end.

But through all these trials, Ohtani persevered.

Is there anything positive to make of the situation?

Well, you can't do that with everything, and I don't exactly try to only think that way.

There is a way to practice even when things aren't going well:

accept if I'm not hitting, and try to find the reason why.

It's up to me to figure out what to do after that.

I'm practicing every day, regardless of whether I play or not.

I believe if I keep up the effort, it'll definitely lead to something.

(Chapter 5: A Father's Lesson)

What drives Ohtani to keep on fighting, even when backed into a corner?

Hello. Nice to meet you.

This is Ohtani's father, Toru.

He manages a local middle school baseball team.

The younger Ohtani learned the basics from his father.

Shohei started playing when he was in his third year of elementary school.

This is Shohei in his first year of middle school.

He was not an exceptional player.

He rarely ever hit home runs in middle school.

He had no control over the ball. I was worried he'd hit another kid.

Even now, his mother doesn't watch when he's pitching.

I never thought he'd become a pro, let alone in the major league.

How can I put it? I'm surprised he's become so good.

His father still has the notebook from Shohei's elementary school days

where they exchanged letters about baseball.

After a game, Shohei would write about how it went.

"My ball control was bad today."

Toru would write back with advice.

"Throw with your whole body, not your shoulders."

"Throw using your body 90%."

This exchange went on for two years.

Toru repeated the same advice many times.

"Call out as hard as you can."

"Play catch as hard as you can."

"Run as hard as you can."

"If you truly work hard, you will be rewarded."

I didn't say things like "get a hit," or "avoid errors," or "go for a big play."

I focused on three things that basically anyone can do.

You could say those three things are at the core of my philosophy.

If you commit yourself to them, surely you'll get better.

The young Ohtani dedicated himself to always working hard.

"Bad points: I didn't run as hard as I could."

"Good points: I was able to call out more than usual."

His father praised him when he did his best.

"Great work!"

He knows those things are so important, and I think he still follows them.

He's still running and throwing and hitting. I guess nothing has changed.

Yeah. He's still the same.

What's most important is your desire to practice and get better.

It's more fun to hit the ball, catch it, or throw it where you want to.

It takes hard work and training to do that and improve yourself.

Don't do it for mom or dad. Do it for yourself.

Think about what you need to do to have fun out there.

Yes!

Ohtani's father taught him that baseball is fun if you work hard.

You have to win in order to have fun.

It's fun to win as a team. Losing is no fun.

You just see what you can do to help the team win.

Each game, you identify issues that need work.

It's a step-by-step process.

You see what works and what doesn't.

Try and then reflect, over and over. That's how you get better.

That back-and-forth process Ohtani went through with his father

is still a part of him.

After his worst season in 2020,

Ohtani started up again immediately.

He played practice games and worked on his pitching form,

things he couldn't do because of COVID.

What a curve!

This is a special facility for analyzing player movements.

The latest technology is used to capture the action,

break down the data, and find areas of improvement.

Ohtani reviews the data after each pitch,

using his own intuition to pursue his ideal form.

How's the splitter? Is there some spin?

It's important to see the gap between what I feel and the numbers.

Reducing that gap helps me hone my senses. The data makes my improvements visible.

Another type of training involves throwing balls of different weights.

The heaviest ball is two kilograms,

over ten times what a standard ball weighs.

It helps him to be more aware of his form, and achieve consistency.

Ohtani also started throwing a ball against the wall as part of his routine.

You don't improve just by doing it once or twice.

You keep at it for a long time, and notice little things to improve your pitching.

Anyone can do this. It's important that you keep trying.

Since he was young,

Ohtani has overcome challenges by doing whatever was within his power.

And so, in the 2021 season,

the legend of Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player truly began.

Forty-six home runs as a batter.

Nine wins and two losses as a pitcher.

The first player in MLB history

to meet or exceed "100" in five pitching and hitting stats,

making him a true two-way player.

Manager Joe Maddon has supported Ohtani.

We talked about this too. He's got a complete joy for what he does,

and don't underestimate the power of joyfulness

in regards to being accomplished at what you do.

You never get tired of it,

you can have a bad day, you can file it,

you're always looking forward to the next opportunity.

This is fun and games.

This is not life and death.

Too many athletes consider it life and death and not enough fun and games.

He's got it right.

And Ohtani's play is inspiring many other major leaguers.

Like, every time he goes up to play, you got to stop what you're doing and watch.

You know, it's really crazy what he's doing at the plate and obviously on the mound.

Yeah, he's definitely, I mean, one of the big faces of the game now and

bringing something new and exciting, being able to do both.

He's an ace pitcher and he's a superstar hitter.

Like, middle of the order bat, like, those guys don't come around

and if you want something, like he wants to be, you know, the best baseball player,

like, you can go out there and achieve it.

After his recovery, Ohtani is not only winning games,

but also winning hearts.

We love Ohtani! Number one!

I love Shohei Ohtani.

(What do you like about him?)

He is so humble. He has no ego. He has a great personality.

He has so much charisma. Like, he just, like, always lights up the field.

He's always so happy and energetic. It's fun to watch him.

Baseball hasn't really had the equivalent of a Michael Jordan.

Ohtani has the opportunity,

and has already demonstrated the ability,

to become a global phenomenon.

I mean, you look at any survey that is being conducted as to

who are the most popular players in Major League Baseball right now,

it's not just the little Japanese children

who love baseball, love Shohei Ohtani.

MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!

Ohtani won numerous awards in 2021

and was unanimously voted MVP.

My numbers this year should be my baseline.

Of course, I want to be able to achieve the same or higher next year.

As a team too. I think things were able to take shape this year.

I want to think of this as a baseline from now on.

How has Ohtani been able to achieve all this?

His dedication before a game tells the whole story.

His ball-throwing of different weights has dug up the turf.

I've been playing since I was a child. And I don't think much has changed.

And it's not going to change much going forward.

I just want to keep getting better. It's as simple as that.

Training each day shows me areas where I can still improve.

It's a happy thing to have something to work on.

No matter how difficult the challenge,

hard work can overcome it.

What we've witnessed following Ohtani since his major league debut

is someone who has never wavered in his pursuit of the sport.

- Call out as hard as you can.
- Play catch as hard as you can.
- Run as hard as you can.

It's more important to have fun with baseball, just as I did as a child,

than doing it as a job.

It's about identifying something I can't do, and becoming able to do it.

That's all I'm doing, really.

The unstoppable two-way player Shohei Ohtani.

There's no telling what this baseball virtuoso

will show the world next.