Shohei Ohtani’s rookie season with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013 was unlike anything Japanese professional baseball had seen before.

Fresh out of high school, Ohtani attempted something unprecedented in modern professional baseball: becoming a full-fledged two-way player.

As a pitcher, he appeared in 13 games, recording 3 wins and 0 losses with a 4.23 ERA.

As a position player, primarily in right field, he played 64 games, posting a .238 batting average with 3 home runs and 20 RBIs.

For most high school rookies, simply earning regular playing time in professional baseball would already be considered impressive.

But Ohtani was attempting to balance two demanding roles simultaneously, navigating uncharted territory without a clear model to follow.

When asked about his first-year statistics, Ohtani offered a response that revealed much about how he evaluates performance.

“Numbers come from causes,” he said.
“Results exist because of reasons behind them.”

Then he added something striking:

“I’m not satisfied with them, but I do accept them.”

At first glance, the two statements might sound contradictory.

How can someone be dissatisfied yet accepting at the same time?

For Ohtani, the answer was simple.

He believed that numbers reflect reality.

If the results were not yet where he wanted them to be, it meant there were still improvements to make—in skill, preparation, or experience.

Complaining about the numbers would change nothing.

Instead, the only meaningful response was to raise the level of the causes behind them.

Train more.
Improve more.
Become better.

For Ohtani, statistics were not something to blame or celebrate.

They were feedback.

Source

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

Shohei Ohtani: Baseball Youth I (Japan Edition 2013–2018), p.75