When Shohei Ohtani graduated from high school, his original plan was to challenge Major League Baseball directly without going through Japan’s professional league. However, he ultimately decided to join the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters after resonating with their bold proposal: to fully support his attempt at becoming a two-way player.
The idea of pursuing both pitching and hitting at the professional level was met with relentless criticism. Baseball commentators and insiders questioned the feasibility of the plan, and some even accused him of “underestimating professional baseball.” For a teenager fresh out of high school, hearing such harsh public criticism day after day could have been overwhelming.
Concerned, his high school coach, Hiroshi Sasaki of Hanamaki Higashi, called him and asked, “Are you really okay?”
Ohtani’s response was unexpected:
“I’m fine. I’m enjoying it every day.”
Later, he explained why the criticism never shook him:
“I really didn’t mind at all. I’m not underestimating professional baseball. I feel fulfilled every day, and I’m glad I chose this path. People say no one has ever done it before — but that’s exactly why I’m doing it.”
For most people, “no one has ever done it” is a reason to stop.
For Ohtani, it is precisely the reason to begin.
Source
This quote comes from a Japanese publication and is not currently available in English.
Sports Graphic Number 861, p.48