“There’s no pitch anymore that I feel completely helpless against. And if I get hit, I tend to think it wasn’t my best pitch.”

This was something Shohei Ohtani said during his time with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

After turning professional, Ohtani developed steadily.
By his third year, he won the pitching Triple Crown, and in his fourth year, he was named MVP, leading his team to a Japan Series championship.

At that time, he had no memory of his best pitches being hit, nor had he encountered a pitch he felt was truly unhittable.
It was, in many ways, a period of total dominance.

After moving to Major League Baseball, he didn’t immediately reach that same level during his first three seasons.
However, starting with his fourth year in MLB—the 2021 season when he won MVP—there were many moments when Ohtani, both as a pitcher and a hitter, became virtually unstoppable when in top condition.

But those performances only represent his best state.

In reality, there are many times when he is not at his peak—
whether due to issues with his fingernails, blisters, or simple fatigue.

So what should a player do when they’re not at their best?

For Ohtani, the answer is clear.

In both sports and work, almost no one is at their best all the time.

Instead of using “I’m not at my best today” as an excuse,
he believes it’s important to recognize that half the time, you won’t be at your best—
and to focus on what you can do in that state.

That mindset is what allows him to perform consistently throughout an entire season.

Source

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

The Making of Shohei Ohtani: The Birth of a Two-Way Major Leaguer, p.95