As of the end of the 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani has won the Player of the Week award 11 times, placing him among an elite group in Major League Baseball history.
Two of those awards came during his rookie season in 2018, but his second award on September 10 carried special meaning.
Earlier that year, in June, Ohtani was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain of his right elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament, forcing him to stop pitching.
He underwent PRP and stem cell treatments and managed to return to the mound in September.
However, after a promising start in his return game, his velocity noticeably dropped in the third inning.
Soon after, the Angels’ medical staff recommended Tommy John surgery—a decision that would sideline him from pitching for at least a year.
While uncertainty and disappointment surrounded him, Ohtani responded in a remarkable way.
During that same week, he recorded a .474 batting average, hit four home runs, and drove in ten runs—earning Player of the Week honors.
Yet what stood out even more than his performance was his mindset.
“I’m not the only one going through something difficult. I wanted to deliver positive news by performing well.”
Despite facing one of the most challenging moments of his career, Ohtani chose to focus not on his own hardship, but on the people around him—his teammates, fans, and supporters.
Rather than expressing frustration, he turned his situation into motivation to bring hope and positivity to others.
His performance was not just about results.
It was about responsibility, empathy, and the desire to give something back through the game.
Source
This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.
Shohei Ohtani: The Birth of a Two-Way Major Leaguer, p.214