NFLShohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels made history in July when he became the first Japanese baseball player to commit to the Home Run Derby.
The event occurred at Coors Field, Colorado, and Ohtani was the first player to confirm he will take part this year. But, unfortunately, there was no event in 2020, meaning he was hoping to topple the 2019 champion, Pete Alonso, who defeated Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the final two years ago.
Ohtani made his name with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in his home country before moving to the US in 2017. Ohtani stated that it was a delight to be involved, telling ESPN: “I always wanted to see a Japanese player participate in the Derby, and it happens to be me. It’s really exciting for me.”
However, he did take it easy in the event, as he was also in the All-Star game set to follow shortly afterward. “I just want to take it like it’s normal BP, don’t want to do too much. All-Star Game’s the next day, and there’s a chance that I’ll be playing in it. And also, we have the whole second half ahead of us, so I’m not going to try to burn myself out with the Derby.” Shohei did not burn himself out as he suffered a first-round loss.
Once described by CBS News as Japan’s Babe Ruth, Ohtani tried to live up to that billing, All-Star game or not, in Denver. He was not alone, though. He selected Angels bullpen catcher Jason Brown as his personal pitcher. Another Angels figure, manager Joe Maddon, admitted it is an excellent chance for the 26-year-old to show what he can do. “This is an opportunity for him to showcase even more,” he said. “I believe that he will handle it properly, and then we’ll see how it plays out.”
Baseball in Japan is incredibly popular, and it has quickly become the favorite sport of many in the Land of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, it isn’t one of the sports fans can wager on either, with limited capacity to do so on soccer, horse racing, and cycling, according to Expatbets.
The second-most popular team sport, soccer, is one that fans can place wagers on. This helps to increase widespread popularity, but baseball does not benefit from such legislation. However, despite it falling under the strict gaming restrictions in the country, it has still thrived both in terms of fan engagement and player participation.
It will be a source of great pride to all baseball fans in Japan that Ohtani is succeeding, but few will be surprised. After being drafted in 2012, he was selected as an NPB all-star five times and was named Pacific League MVP in 2016. He has been impressive at the start of the 2021 MLB season, and he currently ranks first in barrels per plate appearance, fifth in average exit velocity, and fifth in average home run distance.
