The idea of a “baseball god” is something Shohei Ohtani speaks about in a calm and thoughtful way.

One person who openly believes in the existence of the baseball gods is Ohtani’s high school senior, Yusei Kikuchi.
After losing the final of the 2009 Spring Koshien tournament, Kikuchi said that the defeat was a trial given by the baseball gods—a sign that his team was not yet ready to become national champions.

Kikuchi also spoke about how this belief affected his daily practice.
Even when he felt tempted to cut corners during the final repetition of a drill, he would stop himself by thinking, “What if the baseball gods are watching?”
That thought alone was enough to keep him honest and focused.

The idea echoes a well-known saying in Japan: “Heaven knows, earth knows, and I know.”
Even when no one else is watching, believing that someone—or something—is observing can guide a person toward doing what is right.

For Kikuchi, the baseball gods functioned as a source of self-discipline.

Ohtani, on the other hand, has said that he has never disliked baseball practice. For him, training itself is enjoyable, and he does not need the presence of a baseball god to stay motivated.

Still, Ohtani says he hopes such a god exists.

His reason is simple.
He wants people who genuinely put in the effort—who do things properly and sincerely—to be rewarded with proper results. Not only in baseball, but in life as a whole. If there is a baseball god, Ohtani hopes that god is watching carefully, making sure that honest work does not go unnoticed.

Source

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

Opening a Path, Crossing the Ocean: The True Story of Shohei Ohtani, p.256