Masumi Kuwata, once an ace for the Yomiuri Giants who later challenged himself in Major League Baseball, had a difficult season in 2001, managing only four wins.

At the time, he was even considering retirement.

That was when he received a memorable remark from the legendary 400-game winner, Masaichi Kaneda:

“I’ve won 400 games—but I’ve also lost 300.”

(In reality, Kaneda had 298 losses.)

Hearing that even the greatest achievements come with just as many failures gave Kuwata perspective.

The following year, he bounced back with a 12–6 record and helped lead his team to a championship.

In 2019, Shohei Ohtani had a similar experience of failure.

In a game against the Boston Red Sox, he went 0-for-8—the first time in his career.

According to Ohtani, going 0-for-4 or 0-for-5 is frustrating.

But going 0-for-8 is something else entirely.

“It makes your mind go blank,” he said.

“You get irritated, you lose control, and when you step up to the plate, it feels like there are more than nine defenders out there.”

No matter where you hit the ball, it feels like it will be caught.

Still, there’s no point staying stuck in that state.

Ohtani chose to reframe the experience:

“If I go 0-for-4 or 0-for-5 in the future, having experienced going 0-for-8 might make it mentally easier to handle.”

In baseball, hitting .300 is considered elite.

That alone shows how impossible it is to succeed every time.

Failure is inevitable.

And it is through those bitter experiences that players learn, grow, and eventually achieve success.

Source

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

Yakyu Shonen II: MLB Edition 2018–2024, p.95