The World Series? I didn’t even watch it until the end. I wanted to be out there playing—but watching from above just felt strange, so I left halfway through.

In October 2021, Shohei Ohtani visited Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas—where the World Series was being held—to receive the MLB Historic Achievement Award (the Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award).

This award is presented to players or teams who have accomplished something of great historical significance in Major League Baseball.

In the past, it has been awarded to Ichiro, who set the single-season hits record in 2004, as well as to players such as Cal Ripken Jr. and Derek Jeter—fifteen individuals and one team in total.

Since Commissioner Rob Manfred took office, Ohtani became the first recipient of this award.

The commissioner praised Ohtani’s historic achievement of excelling as a two-way player throughout the entire season.

After the award ceremony, Ohtani attended the World Series game between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros.

However, instead of staying until the end, he left midway.

He later explained why:

“I did feel like I wanted to be out there playing, but watching from above felt a bit strange, so I ended up leaving early.”

For any Major League player, competing in the World Series and becoming a champion is a dream.

That is true for Ohtani as well.

For him, the World Series is not something to watch from the stands—

it is something to fight for on the field.

In 2024, that dream would finally come true.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Shohei Ohtani Feature, Number 1040, p.15

Shohei Ohtani Quotes

The World Series? I didn’t even watch it until the end. I wanted to be out there playing—but watching from above just felt strange, so I left halfway through.

Source

More Quotes

I want to be used more. I want to play in more games.

I just focus on each and every game. I don’t think about proving people who doubt me wrong.

I need to keep pitching. Every time I take the mound, I learn something new, and I feel myself getting better. I’ll keep pitching next year and beyond.

I hadn’t experienced something like this before, so it’s become a great memory. But more than anything, if I can make it to the postseason—the World Series—I think this will be replaced. That’s what I want to aim for.

I’m really happy to have reached the level of the players I admired since I was young. I want to keep building, step by step.

Nothing really changes in just one game. I want to keep doing my job pitch by pitch and at-bat by at-bat, so people feel that when Shohei is in the game, we’re more likely to win.

I think that feeling of frustration is what’s motivating me this year.

I won’t know what my total numbers look like until everything is over, and I don’t think I need to think about that right now. Until I retire, I just want to give everything I have each year.

It’s not about simply putting in the numbers. It’s that by going through more repetitions, you increase the number of good and bad outcomes, and that leads to refinement.