Many people want to succeed.

They want to win, to achieve their dreams, and to reach the top of their field. But wanting success and working relentlessly toward it are two very different things.

As one athlete once put it: Everyone wants to win, but far fewer are willing to do what it takes to win.

Shohei Ohtani has always belonged to the latter group.

From early in his career, he showed a rare ability to commit completely to the path he chose for himself. Once he made a decision, he pursued it with unwavering focus.

One of the people who recognized this quality early on was Hideki Kuriyama, the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

Before becoming a manager, Kuriyama worked as a baseball commentator and analyst, covering players both in Japan and the United States. During that time, he closely followed Ohtani’s development as a high school star.

Kuriyama was impressed not only by Ohtani’s extraordinary talent as both a pitcher and a hitter, but also by his dedication to pursuing his goals.

That conviction was one of the reasons Kuriyama believed Ohtani could succeed as a two-way player, something almost no one in modern professional baseball had attempted.

With Kuriyama’s support, Ohtani embraced the challenge and helped redefine what was possible in the sport.

As he prepared to leave Japan for Major League Baseball, Ohtani reflected on the journey that had brought him to that moment.

“I believe I can keep working toward the path I chose for myself,” he said.

“For the past five years, I’ve moved forward without hesitation.”

It was a simple statement, but it captured the essence of his career: choosing a path with conviction—and then pursuing it without doubt.

Source

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

Shohei Ohtani: A Close-Up Report, p.234