The 2020 Major League Baseball season began on July 23—four months later than usual—and was shortened to just 60 games due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

For Shohei Ohtani, this meant experiencing an unusually long offseason for the first time in his third year in the majors. Spring training didn’t begin until July, and the extended gap created a very different preparation environment.

During that period, Ohtani trained at Angel Stadium on days other than weekends and Wednesdays, while continuing to stay active at home on the remaining days. Although he sometimes threw bullpen sessions, players were not allowed to train together, meaning he often practiced alone in the stadium.

What kind of impact does such a long absence from games have on a player?

Ohtani addressed it with calm acceptance:

“I accept it for what it is. There’s no point overthinking it. I’d rather focus on seeing it in a positive way.”

According to Ohtani, individual growth tends to happen more during the offseason than during the season. From that perspective, the extended break actually provided more time to refine his skills.

With more time available for offseason training, he believed that the period for improvement itself would naturally become longer.

For Ohtani, time is one of the most valuable assets for getting better at baseball.
Even a prolonged absence from games was not a setback—but an opportunity for growth.

Source

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

Baseball Youth II: MLB Edition 2018–2024 – Shohei Ohtani Long Interview, p.117