Shohei Ohtani’s ideal as a hitter is extraordinarily ambitious.

He once said his vision of perfect batting would be to “hit 1.000” and to “hit every pitch for a home run without even thinking.”

As a pitcher, however, his ideal is slightly more complex.

“My ideal is to have the balance of both a 27-pitch game and an 81-pitch game.”

A “27-pitch game” refers to the ultimate form of pitch-to-contact baseball — retiring every batter on the very first pitch and finishing a complete game in only 27 pitches.

An “81-pitch game,” meanwhile, represents the exact opposite approach: striking out every batter with three pitches.

At first glance, both sound perfect.

But Ohtani’s point is that a truly dominant pitcher must be capable of both.

If a pitcher constantly aims for a 27-pitch game, he must allow contact on every at-bat, which creates risk. One mistake could turn into a home run.

To avoid that danger, Ohtani believes pitchers should strategically balance efficiency and overpowering stuff.

In low-risk situations early in the game, a pitcher should conserve energy and pitch efficiently.

But in high-pressure moments — such as when runners are in scoring position or the game is on the line late — the pitcher must be able to completely overpower hitters and eliminate any chance of damaging contact.

In other words, the ability to seamlessly switch between efficiency and dominance is what truly allows a pitcher to control a game.

That balance represents Ohtani’s vision of the ideal pitcher.

Source

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

Number 1040, p.12