Some people are content being the best within a limited circle. Others deliberately seek out environments where stronger, more accomplished competitors gather—because that is where they want to test themselves. Shohei Ohtani has always belonged to the latter.

He began playing baseball with the Mizusawa Little League in Iwate Prefecture. Even as a child, he stood out—capable of hitting towering home runs and overpowering hitters as a pitcher. Yet he never grew complacent. Instead, he assumed that somewhere out there were countless players better than him.

At Hanamaki Higashi High School, he trained relentlessly, aiming to throw 160 kilometers per hour. In the summer of his senior year, he became the first high school pitcher in history to reach that milestone in official competition. At that point, entering Japan’s professional league would have guaranteed intense competition among multiple teams for his draft rights.

But in October 2012, at just 18 years old, Ohtani announced his intention to skip Japanese professional baseball and head straight to the United States.

His decision was driven partly by curiosity—how much could he grow if he took a different path from everyone else? But it was also fueled by something deeper: the desire to compete where the very best in the world gather.

“I’m going to a place where great players from every country gather. I don’t want to lose to them.”

For Ohtani, growth has never been about dominating a smaller stage. It has always meant stepping into the largest arena available—and refusing to be outmatched.

Source

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

SHO-TIME: The Man Who Changed 120 Years of Major League History, p.34