Shohei Ohtani doesn’t only touch milestones but the hearts of the fans as well. A skilled player, his unique brand of humility is rare to see in MLB. The 29-year-old Japanese star has always been admired for his unpretentious and down-to-earth attitude. He rarely shouts or behaves rudely, be it with his peers or the media. That’s only one part, though. Ohtani even shows his modesty inside the field that the MLB world hasn’t witnessed for decades.

The two-way phenom dominates the field on the mound and the plate. Within five years of his MLB career, the player has touched milestones that most players can’t reach in their entire careers. These majestic achievements have seen him the subject of several books, including Jay Paris and Mark Langston’s Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-Way Japanese Superstar.

Activities That Shohei Ohtani Brought Back to the Baseball Field

Players often forget to show respect to others, especially to rivals. However, Shotime has proven himself different than the rest. Paris and Langston’s book recorded that the two-way marvel honors rival players and the umpire during games. He shows them the ultimate respect that an opponent can probably give. As page number 21 of the book records, “Ohtani bows when approaching others, and that includes the opposing catcher and umpire when taking his first at-bat in a game.”

The second reason is yet another in-game gesture of Shotime that often draws the audience’s attention. Whenever he makes an out, he goes out of his way to get back his discarded bat.

The third and final point that the two authors mention in their book is something exceptional that probably no one really does. “If he draws a walk, he removes the protective gear from his ankle, elbow, and wrist areas, then he arranges them neatly, waiting for the batboy to arrive.”

These are rather rare qualities to see on the baseball field in recent times. But these are what make him stand apart, in addition to his otherworldly talent. However, these are not qualities that he obtained after joining MLB. He has been like that since his childhood, as his family wanted to avoid giving him an overly privileged upbringing.

Shohei Ohtani’s Mother’s Pocket Money Strategy Worked

Though Ohtani has always been a talent in baseball, his childhood was not very different from others. His family taught him how to tackle fame and money. Even when the Japanese star used to earn $2 million per year at 16, his mother didn’t want him to go above $1000 for a living.

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Jeff Fletcher, in his book Sho-Time: The Inside Story of Shohei Ohtani, recorded the incidents where Ohtani even shared the same dormitory with other teammates. There was no boasting, no supreme luxury in his lifestyle. Shotime was only focused on his goal of being a baseball star.

These teachings still reflect in his behavior, which makes a different place for him in the minds of MLB enthusiasts.

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