Shohei Ohtani has become somewhat of a myth even before reaching the halfway mark of his career. For a player of his caliber, hitting balls at the same speed he throws them at might come easy. However, it is not a painless feat to achieve. Interestingly enough, Ohtani’s two-way dreams would not have been realized unless a certain Japanese intervention happened.

Years before winning AL MVP twice, Shotime used to be a part of Japan’s famous baseball scene. His NPB team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, is a clubhouse famous for delivering countless other Asian-American players to MLB. During his NPB stay, an incident under the team’s banner proved to be instrumental in Shotime becoming a two-way legend later on.

Shohei Ohtani’s Japanese miracle

Equipped with two-way skills from his high school days, Shohei Ohtani was cherished by the Fighters from the very start. According to the book “Sho-Time: The Inside Story of Shohei Ohtani and the Greatest Baseball Season Ever Played,” the team’s observation of the Unicorn’s two-way skill was the starting point of his phenomenal career. They took a decision that might have changed Japan’s way of dealing with multipotential players for generations to come.

NPB was infamous for focusing on a single talent in their players, regardless of their potential elsewhere. The Fighters, renowned for bending traditional rules, were transparent with their willingness to let Shohei Ohtani play both as a pitcher and a hitter after they noticed his equivalent strength in those sectors.

Despite being a powerhouse from the very start, it was an unbelievable opportunity for Shotime. He revealed later that he had not even considered playing with his two-way skills professionally. It wasn’t until the Fighters put the offer on the table that he thought of that. Like any other pitching phenom, he thought that the team would ask him to focus on his skills on the mound. Even a Fighters’ scout thought the same.

Watch This Story: Reminiscing The MLB Sensation Shohei Ohtani’s Two Back-To-Back World Records Following His Ground-Breaking Contract Sign

Takashi Ofuchi, the scouting director of the Nippon Ham Fighters, was one of the many people who believed in traditions. He thought that focusing on multiple skills at once might lead to a decline in success for a player. Hence, when he first heard of Ohtani’s two-way excellence, it was a question of which side the player would thrive on the most. It all changed once he watched him play. “As a scout, I have to look at the person and his abilities and see if this high school player was capable. Ohtani is the player who changed my way of thinking,” he admitted later on.

Read More: Shohei Ohtani’s Biggest Attribute From His NPB Days That Led to His MLB Two-Way Stardom

It looks like MLB enthusiasts have his Japanese roots to thank for Shohei Ohtani’s consistent two-way show-off. May Shotime find more power and support to fuel his future in America!