pictorial
Foreword _ Joe Maddon (former Los Angeles Angels manager)
To begin with
prolog
Chapter 1 Baseball Boy
Chapter 2 Prove
Chapter 3: The Scout Wars
Chapter 4: Blessings and Curses
Chapter 5: "I Need Time"
Chapter 6: Imagine Beyond Imagination
Chapter 7 Depressive Diagnosis
Chapter 8: The Season of Tribulation
Chapter 9: Diamond Mining Project
Chapter 10: New Approaches, New Hope
Chapter 11: The Beginning of the Unicorn
Chapter 12 The Golden Rule
Chapter 13: The Star of Stars
Chapter 14: Shining Brighter in Adversity
Chapter 15: Unicorn
Chapter 16 Encore

Never before has there been a
Shohei Ohtani, the player who gave us baseball

Ohtani had an incredible year in 2023.
As a batter, he hit 44 home runs to win the American League home run title, and his OPS, which is the combination of on-base percentage and slugging percentage, ranked first in the major leagues.
As a pitcher, he recorded a symbolic double-digit number of wins with 10 wins as a starter, and his ERA of 3.14 ranked 7th in the major league.
The fact that he was able to have the best season possible, to the point where people were saying, "Ohtani will be the MVP anyway" already in the middle of the season, is thanks to the experience he gained through trial and error and continuous challenges in the past.
"Shohei Ohtani's Great Season" shows the incredible numbers he's putting up and the side of him that's behind them.
Ohtani, who had declared his intention to enter the major leagues right after graduating from high school, suddenly decided to join the Nippon Ham Fighters.
What led him to change his career path was a courtship and a special promise that went beyond the fighters' usual conventions.
After that, it seemed like the path was set for superstar Ohtani, with his growth as a full-fledged professional pitcher and hitter, love calls from major league teams, and a spectacular debut.
But injuries caught up with him.
With knee and elbow surgeries continuing, there were plenty of factors that hindered him, such as the pressure to give up 'two-handed fighting', skepticism, public opinion that belittled him, and the chaotic atmosphere within the team.


But he entered rehabilitation with the strong mentality that allowed him to hit a home run even on the day he decided to have surgery.
The book depicts the numerous incidents Otani experienced as a player and how he consistently dealt with and overcame them, along with numerous replays of his matches.
Rather, after the helpful pandemic period, and the lifting of the restrictions on playing that had kept him from straining his body, Ohtani soared like a unicorn.
And he went on to win the dramatic WBC title in early 2023.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Ohtani proved his unique value by signing a 10-year, $700 million free agent contract, the richest in professional sports history.
Right now, the name of the superstar representing baseball is 'Shohei Ohtani'.

From superstar Shohei Ohtani's training methods to his character
Contains all the charm he showed

The story of Otani that we know, which at first glance seems like a simple narrative of a cartoon character, actually has many parts missing.
The author, who has covered and interviewed Otani more than any other American journalist, fills in the details in this book.
The book details Ohtani's development as a player, from the story of how he, a right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitter, "had no choice" to hone his swing to the left because he hit too many home runs over the right fence during his "baseball boy" days, which resulted in too many balls falling into the river, to his feelings after deciding to have surgery, the circumstances surrounding his need to play until the end of the season, and the rehabilitation training methods he adopted after the surgery.

Here, episodes and comments that reveal Ohtani's personality, such as his changing attitude towards the game, his extraordinary obsession with victory and championship as a player, and his pure love for the sport of baseball, allow us to understand him in a three-dimensional way.
A man who would just laugh at a newspaper article badmouthing him, put in his place by a fellow player; a man who, according to insiders, was picky about advertising and wouldn't do so even though it would make him more money; a man so reserved that reporters once called him a "robot"; a man who had no interest in anything other than his own performance and baseball; yet a man who blended in well in the clubhouse and was well-liked by everyone.
The author weaves together the stories of superstar Ohtani based on the stories of various people who worked with him, including the manager, coaches, players, team staff, and the media, as well as the author's own perspective based on six years of reporting.
Otani, who is woven in such a multifaceted way, is born as a protagonist that everyone cannot help but like.

From the system of the world's best sports industry, Major League Baseball
The behind-the-scenes story of scouting and trade

To scout Ohtani, the Angels' general manager and staff stayed up all night during the Thanksgiving holiday preparing materials.
Not only did he have documents and videos, he even prepared a phone call with Trout, who was preparing for his wedding.
Since money is at stake, the buying and selling of players for Ohtani's sake, as well as the 'bonus pool' transactions that can be used for overseas players, and the behind-the-scenes stories that unfold within the huge organization called MLB are fascinating.
The Angels' strategic moves to use Ohtani as a pitcher and designated hitter, the club's media relations methods, and management methods when injured players arise will also be revealed.
The author reveals detailed information and behind-the-scenes stories about Major League Baseball that are not easily accessible in domestic media, including how the Major League Baseball office, which needed a star, changed the rules to have Ohtani play as a pitcher and hitter in the All-Star Game, the new training methods that Major Leaguers adopted during the off-season to improve their skills and address their weaknesses, and even stories about players throughout history who challenged themselves as both pitchers and hitters.

On the official website of Major League Baseball, the position is listed next to the player's name.
The pitcher has a P next to his name, but the letter next to Ohtani's name is different.
Shohei Ohtani (TWP).
He was the first player in history to be registered as a Two Way Player.
Only players who have pitched more than 20 innings and played in more than 20 games with at least 3 plate appearances as a fielder or designated hitter can register for this position, and of course, Ohtani is currently the only one.
As someone said, if we were extras in a manga starring the baseball legend Shohei Ohtani, we could just watch with anticipation to see what challenges he would face and overcome.
That story will surely become history.