Since his days with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Shohei Ohtani has rarely shown much interest in milestone achievements or commemorative records.

Even when he became the first player since Babe Ruth to record both double-digit wins and double-digit home runs in the same season, he did not seem especially emotional about it. One team official even remarked that “maybe he’s looking at something completely different.”

Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers in 2024 became a historic year filled with records.

He broke numerous Japanese and Asian records and produced one remarkable achievement after another.

Although he answered questions from reporters about those accomplishments, there were times when he admitted he “wasn’t even aware” of certain milestones.

That may reveal how little personal statistics occupied his mind.

In September 2024, after hitting his 46th home run and reaching the unprecedented “46–46” mark, Ohtani was asked about the possibility of becoming the first player in MLB history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.

He answered:

“I think it’s fine to look back on it all afterward. Since I’m on a new team this year, I honestly haven’t had much room to focus on my personal numbers.”

It is difficult to imagine that he truly felt no awareness of such a historic accomplishment.

But at that moment, Ohtani’s greatest objective was clear:

win the division title and finally capture the World Series he had dreamed about for so long.

For him, team success came first.

Records were simply something to reflect on later.

Source

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

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