“It will be a crazy experience to be able to deal with Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels).”
Ohtani will participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) with the Japanese national team. Japan’s Daejin Ohtani in Group B will face Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic in the first round.
Ohtani has been receiving a lot of attention even before the tournament. He rose to prominence in the major leagues as both a pitcher and a hitter, becoming a superstar. He throws a fastball at 160km per hour and is playing baseball like a cartoon character where he can hit a large home run with a distance of 140m as a batter. For this reason, Ohtani is a superstar even among major league players.
For players who do not have the opportunity to play in the major leagues, international competitions are a great opportunity to see Ohtani. Alex Hall (24, Perth Heat), the hostess of the Australian national team, revealed her feelings about dealing with Ohtani in an interview with Australia’s local media ‘ABC’.
“It will be a crazy experience (fighting Ohtani),” Hall said. 메이저사이트 It is great just to see the face in person, but it will be a crazy experience to be able to go head-to-head.”
“Otani is a unicorn (a metaphor for an imaginary player), so it will be an unforgettable memory to be able to play against the world’s best player. He added, “I want to fight with all my might so that I can say that I did it no matter what the result is.”
Ohtani’s participation in the WBC is a hot topic every day for players, fans, and Japanese and American media. In particular, a lot of attention is focused on whether Ohtani will try to double as a pitcher in the WBC. Japan, which is aiming to win the tournament, wants Ohtani to play both pitcher and hitter and catch two rabbits: performance and marketing.
However, in order for Ohtani to work as a pitcher, he needs to consult with his team, the Angels. Japanese media said, “The Japanese national team and the team are discussing how to use Ohtani. There is a temperature difference between the two sides, and the Angels have the initiative. As director Hideki Kuriyama, I have no choice but to approach it cautiously.”
Ohtani’s existence is like a celebrity even for the players. Expectations are already rising as to what kind of activity he will perform in the WBC.