What a moment for Shohei Ohtani! To achieve a World Series victory in his first year of being a Dodger must have been surreal – celebrating in the Yankees’ clubhouse, with Kendrick Lamar thumping in the background and beer everywhere, perfectly captured the joy of the moment. When the Dodgers brought Ohtani on board last winter, team chairman Mark Walter didn’t hold back. He talked about the club’s “checkered October past.”

It’s true—the Dodgers have been the gold standard in baseball for over a decade, but only snagging one World Series title in 2020 was hard. But Ohtani has been determined to change that. So much so that what he said to the president of baseball operations left the latter speechless. On Wednesday, as the Dodgers celebrated their second championship, Shohei Ohtani had a playful message for Andrew Friedman. “Alright, nine more, nine more,” Ohtani said.

That “nine” referred to the World Series titles he hopes to rack up over the next nine seasons of his contract. According to The Athletic, Friedman chuckled, recalling Ohtani’s confidence: “In his first year, he won a championship and thought, ‘This is easy. We’re just gonna do it again nine more times!” It’s incredible to see that kind of enthusiasm; with a talent like Ohtani, who knows?   

It’s safe to assume Ohtani was joking—maybe the champagne had something to do with it – but given everything Shotime’s achieved in his seven seasons in the majors, he might truly be aiming for it. Another interesting fact is that Major League Baseball granted nearly 180 credentials to media members from Japan, which speaks volumes about Shohei Ohtani’s impact – not just on the Dodgers, but the entire sport. Almost 16 million people in Japan tuned in for Game 2 of the World Series, and we’re sure the numbers only grew from there.  

Japan celebrates its star baseball players  

The World Series trophy may be headed to Los Angeles, but the celebration is just as vibrant across the Pacific in Japan! In the Ginza shopping area of Tokyo, crowds gathered on Thursday afternoon. They were eagerly awaiting the special newspaper editions that were rolling off the presses. The Sports Nippon newspaper splashed a bold headline in yellow and blue, accented with red highlights: “No. 1 in The World. Ohtani beats the Yankees.” 

The newspaper handouts are a Tokyo tradition for celebrating big events. People of all ages sprinted up and down the sidewalks, eager to grab their free collector’s items. It’s like a mini-festival right there in the streets! The Yomiuri Shimbun headline captured the moment perfectly: “Dodgers No. 1; Ohtani, Yamamoto in first season.” The pride in Ohtani is monumental, especially for a country that once faced stereotypes about its players limited to just pitching.  

Now, stars like Ohtani and Yamamoto showcasing their incredible skills on such a big stage is a game-changer. It was heartwarming for Ohtani’s hometown of Oshu City too; fans have been gathering all week, eagerly hoping their superstar would lead the Dodgers to victory. Publishing around 38,000 special edition newspapers in the northern area of Oshu City. How do you think this victory will affect the next generation of players in Oshu and beyond? Share your take in the comments.