Shohei Ohtani: Unmatched in September! This Year’s Finale: “World Champion & World Series MVP”

A dream come true! What’s next…

The long-awaited “dream story” for baseball fans around the world may be just a passing phase for the man who made it a reality.

Shohei Ohtani (30) became the number one member of the “50-50 Club” on September 19 (local time).

Even the “40-40” is a big record, with only five other players besides Ohtani. The “50-50” was a dream come true. Despite that, Ohtani achieved it with nine games left. Even Dave Roberts, the manager of the team, praised him highly, saying, ‘I can’t believe he’s human.

As can be seen from his performance in 2009, when he hit homers at the same high pace as this season until August, and last year, when he left the game mid-season due to injury, Otani tended to lose his form in the last half of the season, but this season he has peaked in September. Sportswriter Nachi Tomonari says there are two reasons.

When his mainstay Mookie Betts (31) went out with an injury, he became more conscious of his on-base percentage. But now that Betts is back with the team, he has become Ohtani’s original batting style, which is to aim aggressively from the first pitch.
Being able to hit sliders and sinkers is also significant. In September, Ohtani hit sinkers over 50% of the time.

After his accomplishment, there is a strong possibility that Ohtani will become the second player in major league history to win the MVP award in both leagues. His next goal is to achieve his long-cherished dream of becoming the World Series MVP.

There is a strong possibility that Ohtani will be asked to bat first in the postseason as well. Therefore, there are high expectations that he will set a record for the most home runs by a batter in the postseason. If he does so, he should be able to aim for the MVP. What worries me is the pitching staff, as Gavin Stone (25), Clayton Kershaw (36), and Tyler Glasnow (31), the core of the starting rotation, are out one after the other and are hopelessly out for the post-season. The key to becoming the best in the world will be how well they can compete.

For Ohtani, this will be his first postseason appearance. Is it possible for Ohtani to suddenly rise to the top in uncharted territory?

He will be able to show his true potential on the big stage. In his first WBC, he led Japan to the World No. 1 position and was named MVP of the tournament. Otani is a man who enjoys playing games under pressure and achieves results.

He is sure to use his batting ability to pave the way for Japan to become the world’s No. 1 baseball player, a task that has been difficult to accomplish.

From the October 11, 2024 issue of FRIDAY