TOKYO, Sept 20 (Askume) – Japan erupted in joy on Friday morning as national hero Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.
“Mr. Ohtani” was the most popular topic on “Amazing Achievement” in Japan.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations on the achievement of this major record,” Lin told reporters at a regular press conference.
Ohtani, 30, entered Thursday night needing one stolen base and two homers to accomplish the feat , a first in the major leagues’ 148-year history. He struck out 51 in a 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani, who achieved the first hitting and pitching double-double in Major League Baseball since Babe Ruth, has been a focus of Japanese national pride since making his American League debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 and winning two Most Valuable Player awards.
Every aspect of Ohtani’s life has attracted media attention, from his sudden marriage announcement this year to a gambling scandal involving a former translator and his wife.Even the dog ‘s name .
Ohtani’s fandom peaked in Japan, where he signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers at the end of last season and focused on hitting after pitching surgery. The Dodgers’ blue jerseys replaced the Angels’ red jerseys as the best-selling jerseys in Tokyo, and every home run that reached the top 50 was replayed nightly on national news programs.
A large number of people congratulated Ohtani on social media.
“Japan’s record machine has done wonders again!” wrote Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, “a true global ambassador for the sport.”
Otani’s hometown is Iwate Prefecture Governor Takuya Tasakacompared the slugger’s historic night to the “Big Bang.”
Tasso wrote, “It was as if a singularity had opened up and a new universe was being created through their incredible performances.”
“I’m so proud to be Japanese,” deburi0122 wrote, “Awesome…I’m so happy.”
Robert Whiting, who has been writing about Japanese baseball for decades, said the man was 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall and had the ability to hit 500-foot home runs and reach speeds of 100 miles per hour (161 km/h).
“Ohtani beat the Americans in his own way,” Whiting said. “When you consider he hit and pitched at a star level, he’s probably the best player in Major League Baseball history.”
“There are many young Japanese, including Takemoto from Wakayama, who is now studying at the University of Hawaii, who want to follow in his footsteps and probably will.”
