Tracking Shohei Ohtani’s Remarkable Path from High School Star to 50/50 Club Founder
The Los Angeles Dodgers player and two-time American League MVP is headed to this year’s World Series.
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The greatest “Sho” on earth—or at least a baseball field—is heading to the World Series.
Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their spot in the MLB championship after defeating the New York Mets and throwing out the possibility of a subway series. The Dodgers face the New York Yankees in this year’s Fall Classic, which begins Friday.
Even as an elbow injury sidelined two-way superstar Ohtani from pitching this season, his hitting ability led him to record more hits (197), home runs (54), and RBIs (130) than ever before in a single season. All along, though, the 30-year-old phenom from Ohsu, Japan, has been eyeing the World Series. “The goal was to get this far,” Ohtani recently said through a translator.
Here’s how Ohtani, who Yankees slugger Aaron Judge called “the best player in the game,” rose from standout high school star to two-time American League MVP with Los Angeles Angels and now first-time World Series player.
Ohtani could throw almost 100 mph in high school
According to The Ringer, Ohtani attracted the attention of MLB scouts in 2012 when he set a Japanese high school record by throwing a 99.4-mph pitch for Hanamaki Higashi High School. Ohtani originally wanted to sign with an MLB organization out of high school but instead started his career with Japan’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013.
He also swam in high school
Ohtani’s high school baseball coach Hiroshi Sasaki instructed his players to swim as part of their workouts, according to a 2021 Los Angeles Times column. Sasaki said Ohtani was particularly fast in the pool. “The swimming coach here said he could have made the Olympics,” Sasaki said, according to the column.
Ohtani comes from an athletic family
Ohtani’s parents were impressive athletes in their own right. His father, Toru Ohtani, played semi-professional baseball, and his mother, Kayoko Ohtani, is an accomplished badminton player, according to the Associated Press.
He’s already one of the best MLB sluggers from Japan
With 46 home runs in 2021 and 34 home runs in 2022, Ohtani became the first Japanese MLB player to hit 30 or more home runs in consecutive seasons. His 225 career home runs rank first for Japanese-born players; he leapfrogged longtime New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui in 2024.
He was an All-Star pitcher and hitter in the same year
Ohtani became the first player to be selected to the MLB All-Star Game as a pitcher and position player in 2021. He threw a scoreless inning in the game on July 13 at Colorado’s Coors Field and went hitless in two at-bats.
Ohtani also competed in the Home Run Derby that year, hitting 28 of them.
Ohtani shares a record with Babe Ruth
He played for the Angels on a (relative) bargain
Ohtani was second in MVP voting in 2022 but wasn’t even the most or second most expensive player on his former team. Ohtani’s contract with the Angels was worth $30 million in 2023, according to Baseball Reference. That put him behind teammates Anthony Rendon ($38.6 million) and Mike Trout ($37.1 million).
After six seasons with the Angels, Ohtani became a free agent in November 2023 and signed an eye-popping $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers a month later. It’s the most lucrative contract in MLB history and among the largest in sports history, too.
Ohtani has had multiple walk-up songs
MLB players usually have a signature song that plays when they walk toward the batter’s box or the pitcher’s mound. Ohtani had several with the Angels, including “Twinbow” by Slushii and Marshmello, “Do Or Die” by Afrojack and Thirty Seconds to Mars, and the theme from Game of Thrones. For his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani fittingly chose “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco.
One of his favorite players is the Padres’ Yu Darvish
Ohtani’s favorite players are fellow countrymen Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres (pictured) and the aforementioned Hideki Matsui. Darvish, a pitcher with 110 career MLB wins, and Ohtani were teammates on the Japanese squad that claimed victory at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Ohtani is a serious sleeper
Ohtani cites his sleeping habits as an important part of his on-field success. According to Kyodo News, Ohtani will often sleep 10 or more hours in a single day and frequently works naps into his baseball routine. He even has custom pillows stuffed with extra material in order to maintain their height.
He’s the first and only member of the 50/50 club
Among his many feats perhaps none is more impressive than Ohtani’s status as the founding member of the 50/50 club, having hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in a single season. He forever etched his name in the history books after stealing two bases and pounding three homers during a September 19, 2024, game against the Miami Marlins.
In October, the ball that marked his 50th home run sold for more than $4.3 million at auction. To date, he has 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases this year.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
Adrienne directs the daily news operation and content production for Biography.com. She joined the staff in October 2022 and most recently worked as an editor for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling. Adrienne has served as editor-in-chief of two regional print magazines, and her work has won several awards, including the Best Explanatory Journalism award from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers. Her current working theory is that people are the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every system that) creates our societal norms. When she’s not behind the news desk, find her hiking, working on her latest cocktail project, or eating mint chocolate chip ice cream.
