In winning the World Series with his Dodgers teammates, Ohtani once again showed that you can overcome hardships with a smile and bring great dreams to life. Published on By Reflecting on this just completed season, the smiling face of comes immediately to mind. After seeing his dream of , Ohtani exploded with joy as he and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates showered each other with champagne.
Here in Japan throughout the season, many people started their day by enjoying a glimpse of Ohtani's radiant smile. Nonetheless, for Ohtani himself, it was also a year of turbulence. He underwent surgery on his right elbow in the autumn of 2023 and has had to focus on rehabilitation this season.
That ended his dual role as both a pitcher and a hitter. Desperate to be part of a September pennant run, he left the perennially low-ranking Los Angeles Angels for the much greener pastures of the powerhouse Dodgers. Moreover, in doing so he negotiated a worth $700 million USD (¥100 billion JPY).
It is the largest athlete contract in the history of sports. He also managed to get married during this time. The pressure must have been unimaginably great.
Just as he began his career as a Dodger, his exclusive interpreter was arrested for sports gambling and fired. Some people even questioned Ohtani's own awareness of the problem. It was anything but an environment conducive to concentrating on baseball.
Despite these complications, Ohtani hit and ran as hard and fast as he could to help his team wi.
