Shohei Ohtani experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake when he was a first-year high school student.

His family home and Hanamaki Higashi High School, located inland, did not suffer catastrophic damage.
However, some of his teammates were from coastal areas, and head coach Hiroshi Sasaki traveled with players to those regions to check on their families, visiting evacuation centers along the way.

Among them were players who had lost their homes to the tsunami, and even those who had lost loved ones.

In the face of such devastation, Coach Sasaki encouraged his team by telling them they would not play merely as Hanamaki Higashi, but as representatives of Iwate Prefecture, determined to show their resilience at the Summer Koshien.

Ohtani, too, came to deeply appreciate the value of everyday life through this experience.
He entered the tournament with a strong desire to win—for the sake of the disaster-affected areas.

However, the team was eliminated in the first round.
Ohtani broke down in tears, saying he had wanted to keep winning for those affected by the disaster.

Ten years later, in March 2021, marking a decade since the earthquake, Ohtani shared the following message:

“While many things may fade with time, there are also many things we must not forget, and cannot forget. What I can do on my own may be small, but I want to keep doing my best so that I can be of even a little help to the people in the affected areas.”

Even years later, his concern for disaster-affected communities has never faded.

Following the Noto Peninsula earthquake in early 2024, Ohtani quickly made a significant donation—once again showing that he continues to keep those in need in his thoughts.

Source

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

Following Shohei Ohtani: A Reporter’s 10-Year Chronicle, p.287