Ohtani is a celebrity to players… “Coming head-to-head is a crazy experience”
“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. In the major leagues, he emerged as both a pitcher and a hitter and grew into a superstar. He throws a fastball at 160 km per hour and is playing baseball like a cartoon character where he can hit a large home run with a distance of 140 m as a batter. For this reason, Ohtani is a superstar even among major leaguers.
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’.
Hall couldn’t hide his excitement, saying, “It will be a crazy experience (fighting with Ohtani). It’s great just to see the face in person, but it will be a crazy experience to be able to go head-to-head.”
He continued, “It will be an unforgettable memory to be able to play against the best player in the world, who is like Ohtani a unicorn. “he added.
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 coach Hideki Kuriyama, I have no choice but to approach carefully.” 스포츠토토
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.