What comes to mind when hearing Shohei Ohtani? Baseball, right? Well, that’s his biggest passion for sure, but there’s something else that the Japanese player used to be passionate about. This passion of his unveiled itself during his schooling years. While baseball was his focus, he had peculiar subject preferences compared to other students. Not only did his sports preference distinguish him from other students, but his subject preference also did the same.

The Los Angeles Angels superstar pitcher had a normal childhood like most other kids. The only difference was his strong passion and determination for baseball. Several renowned personalities have already researched and jotted down the journey of Ohtani with interesting, unknown facts. One such book by Jay Paris and Mark Langstone discussed the boring subject preference of Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani had a history with history

The Two-Way Phenom had a healthy childhood and schooling experience. So, like every other student, he also had his favorite subjects. While most people know that baseball was his only passion, he had a love for history in his school days.

In Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-Way Japanese Superstar which was released in 2018, the authors drew the readers’ attention to this fact. On page number 25, the authors said, “By the time Ohtani enrolled at Hanamaki Higashi High School in the Iwate Prefecture, two things were clear: he had a passion for history and baseball.” However, emphasizing his baseball love, they further expressed, “Especially baseball.”

History is not a popular subject that students generally love. But the 21 Century Babe Ruth differed from his peers in every aspect. While fame and money diverted young players often from their set goals, Ohtani didn’t care for them. He used to live on the allowance his mother granted him.

However, one advantage Shotime had from childhood was family encouragement. His parents were both linked to sports.

Ohtani garnered immense support for his involvement in sports from his family

Parents often scold their children when they dream about something unconventional. Often, the older generation fails to understand the unconventional means their children aspire for. However, that was not the case for the Japanese baseball superhero. His parents were linked to the sports world, even with baseball.

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Ohtani’s father, Toru, was a baseball player who had played at semiprofessional levels. However, a shoulder injury later made him quit the sport. Even his mother had a strong sports background. She used to be a national badminton team member. So, Shotime got a love for sports as a genetic trait.

Shohei Ohtani was different from other classmates and teammates through his unique choices and down-to-earth behavior. These are the driving forces that led him to become what he is now. Nevertheless, what do you make of his love for history? Let us know in the comments section below.

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