In March 2022, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed on several new rules.
One of them allowed a starting pitcher to also remain in the game as the designated hitter (DH) after leaving the mound.
The rule was so closely associated with Shohei Ohtani that it quickly became known as the “Ohtani Rule.”
Before this change, once a starting pitcher was removed from the game, he could no longer continue batting unless he took a defensive position in the field.
Under the new rule, however, a player serving as both pitcher and DH could continue hitting even after being replaced as a pitcher.
The rule had first been introduced as a special exception during the previous year’s All-Star Game specifically to accommodate Ohtani’s two-way role.
Afterward, MLB officially adopted it for regular-season games as well.
As a result, Ohtani could remain in the lineup as a hitter even after his pitching duties ended.
Angels manager Joe Maddon welcomed the change, saying it would make managing games much easier. He also praised Ohtani’s influence by joking:
“This changes baseball history. It’s the ‘Sho Rule.’”
For Ohtani himself, the rule change became one of the happiest moments of his career.
He reflected on it this way:
“A new rule gets created in a league with nearly 150 years of history. That’s something to be happy about, isn’t it?”
Behind those words was a deep sense of pride.
The style of baseball he had pursued for years — something many people once doubted — had finally been recognized and embraced by the country where baseball was born.
Source
This quote comes from a Japanese magazine published in Japan and is not currently available in English.
Number 1069, p.15