Ever since Shohei Ohtani began his two-way career with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, people have constantly debated whether he should continue both pitching and hitting.

Some believe his talent as a hitter is so extraordinary that he should give up pitching and focus entirely on batting.

Others, including Ichiro at one point, suggested a different idea:

alternate roles each year — become a home run champion one season and win the Cy Young Award the next.

Those arguments themselves reveal just how exceptional Ohtani is at both skills.

After Ohtani dislocated his left shoulder during a stolen-base attempt in the 2024 World Series, concerns about his return to pitching grew even stronger, and more voices began calling for him to become a full-time hitter.

In today’s world, these discussions happen not only among experts and former players, but constantly across the internet among fans.

Naturally, Ohtani is aware of them.

But he does not seem bothered.

“As long as I can still do both, I’ll keep doing both,” he said, showing little concern about outside opinions.

To Ohtani, people are free to have different views.

And if fans enjoy debating his future over drinks with friends, then that too is part of baseball’s appeal.

The internet contains both supportive voices and harsh criticism.

But Ohtani has always continued down the path he believed in.

When he announced his desire to challenge Major League Baseball directly out of high school, people criticized him.

When he committed to becoming a two-way player, people criticized him again.

Even so, he never changed course.

For Ohtani, the only path that matters is the one he has chosen for himself.

Source

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

Number 1111