Shohei Ohtani has turned heads as the first professional baseball player since Babe Ruth to both pitch and hit. His speed, skill, and strength has made him a beloved player around the world. Find out more about his journey from growing up in Japan to becoming a worldwide baseball superstar.

Introduces readers to the life and career of baseball star Shohei Ohtani. Colorful spreads, fun facts, interesting sidebars, and a map of important places in his life make this a thrilling read for young sports fans.

LA Angels fans call Shohei Ohtani the next Babe Ruth, but Ohtani might be even better. See how Ohtani pitched and slugged his way to MLB success and what comes next for the international superstar.

The story behind Major League Baseball’s two-way playing phenomenon and his rise from early days in Japan to his historic 2021 MVP season. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is playing baseball like no other major leaguer since Babe Ruth. His dominance as a two-way player—an electric pitcher and an elite slugger—made him the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player, the only player ever selected as an All Star as both a pitcher and hitter, and a member of Time 100’s most influential people of 2021. In Ohtani’s first two-way game of the 2021 season, he threw a pitch at 100 mph and hit a homer that left his bat at 115 mph, a confluence of feats unmatched by anyone else in the sport. He racked up eye-popping achievements all year. But awards and numbers tell only part of his amazing story. In Sho-Time, award-winning sportswriter Jeff Fletcher, who has covered Ohtani more than any other American journalist, charts Ohtani’s path through Japanese baseball to a championship with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, the recruiting war to bring him to the majors, his 2018 AL Rookie of the Year campaign, subsequent injury-riddled seasons, and then his historic 2021 season. Along the way, Fletcher weaves in the history of two-way players—including Babe Ruth and unsung Negro Leagues players like “Bullet” Joe Rogan, Martín Dihigo, and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe—and the Japanese athletes who preceded Ohtani in the majors. With insight from Japanese and American baseball front office personnel, managers, scouts, athletic trainers, ballplayers, and more, Sho-Time breaks down the physics of Ohtani’s game, his technologically advanced training, his international fame, and the role he and teammate Mike Trout are playing to lead baseball into the next generation. Praise for Sho-Time “Jeff Fletcher masterfully chronicles not only what Ohtani accomplished in ‘21, but also provides the full context to his achievements. . . . Fletcher’s book is the definitive look at Ohtani’s two-way majesty.” —Ken Rosenthal, Senior Writer at The Athletic “Historians will be talking about Shohei Ohtani’s 2021 season for decades, and thankfully the baseball gods arranged for Jeff Fletcher to be there to cover baseball’s best two-way player ever in the midst of a pandemic, to bear witness and mine details and write with grace about the sport’s most incredible individual performance.” —Buster Olney, ESPN “The essential portrait of baseball’s most captivating player. . . . Fletcher goes beyond the carefully scripted press conferences, revealing in vivid detail the challenges and triumphs of a baseball journey like no other.” —Tyler Kepner, The New York Times

Rarely does anyone use the term “two-way” in regard to a baseball player. Yet the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, at the young age of twenty-three, has become the epitome of the term, drawing comparisons to Babe Ruth by baseball pundits everywhere. After being drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japan Pacific League with the number-one pick in 2012, the eighteen-year-old Ohtani struggled with the bat during his rookie season. However, he had a breakout year in 2014, posting a 2.61 ERA in 24 starts and 179 strikeouts (as well as 10 home runs). By 2017, all thirty Major League Baseball teams had heard about the Japanese phenom and expressed interest in signing him. Ultimately, the Angels offered him the opportunity to compete as a two-way player and the chance to accomplish his professional goals. After a quiet spring training, Ohtani broke out in the first two weeks of the 2018 regular season, becoming just the 14th pitcher in major-league history to strike out 12 batters in one of his first two starts. He also homered in three consecutive games during that stretch. Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-Way Japanese Superstar tells the story of the player from rural Japan who became a two-way star not seen in America since Babe Ruth. With highlights of his best games on the mound and at bat from each month of his rookie season and anecdotes of his life in America, this is the one book that every fan will want.

Shohei Ohtani is a professional baseball player from Japan who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Angels in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is known for his unique talent as both a pitcher and hitter, a rare achievement in baseball that has earned him the nickname "The Japanese Babe Ruth." Ohtani made his professional debut in Japan as a pitcher at the age of 18, where he quickly became a star player in the Japanese professional league. He later made the decision to move to the United States to pursue a career in MLB, signing with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. Ohtani made an impressive debut in his first MLB season, showcasing his talent as a pitcher and hitter. In 2018, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first player since Babe Ruth to win at least 10 games as a pitcher and hit at least 15 home runs in the same season. While he faced some injury setbacks, Ohtani has continued to be a valuable player for the Angels and a fan favorite. He is considered one of the most exciting players in the league, with his power hitting and pitching prowess making him a standout player to watch. In this book we discuss topics such as: Introduction: Definition and significance of Shohei Ohtani, Purpose of the document Background Information: Early life and education, Early Sports Career, Professional Baseball Career Skills and Achievements: Pitching Skills, Batting Skills, Awards and Achievements Shinjo Comparisons: Comparison with Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Differences and Similarities, Impact on Japanese Baseball Ohtani and MLB: His initial signing with the Los Angeles Angels, Performance in the MLB, Challenges and adjustments, Impact on MLB Off the Field: Personal Life, Charity Work and Philanthropy, Public Image Future Prospects: Ohtani's potential as a player, The possibility of an MVP award, Predictions for the future Conclusion: Summary of Key Points, Final Thoughts and Ohtani's Legacy. Quizzes are provided at the end of each section.

Shohei Ohtani has turned heads as the first professional baseball player since Babe Ruth to both pitch and hit. His speed, skill, and strength has made him a beloved player around the world. Find out more about his journey from growing up in Japan to becoming a worldwide baseball superstar.