Langston Mark - Shohei Ohtani: the amazing story of baseballs two-way Japanese superstar

Copyright 2018 by Jay Paris

Foreword 2018 by Mark Langston

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Interior photos by Associated Press, unless otherwise noted

Cover design by Qualcom

Cover photo credit Associated Press

ISBN: 978-1-68358-302-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-303-5

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Before each Angels game, the song Send Me An Angel blasts through the Angel Stadium sound system. I always had two angels at home, and they need to be recognized.

If not for Jack and Jean Paris, my parents, I might not have grown so fond of baseball overall and the local nine in particular. It was because of them, and their trust, that a pint-size kid could cherish the summers of his youth cheering for the California Angels, the Anaheim Angels, and, ultimately, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Jack Paris wasnt a sports nutfar from it. His focus was on helping those less fortunate as a dedicated Los Angeles County social worker for more than 30 years.

Jean Paris didnt analyze box scores or batting averages, either. She was busy molding tomorrows leaders by passionately teaching in nearby Tustin for four decades.

But they appreciated my love of baseball, and they did all they could to see that it flourished. That included letting me ride my Schwinn bike to games, minus a helmet on my head or a cell phone sticking out from my back pocket.

They gave me the OK to arrive at Angels games three hours before the first pitch for batting practice, then hang out for an eternity after the last pitch, just to connect with my favorite Angels.

All of those associated with the Angels were keen in my eyes, but none were cooler than Jack and Jean Paris.

Having Angels in the outfield, and infield, is one thing. But nothing beats sharing a home with them when growing up, and I was blessed to do just that.

Jay Paris

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There were few major leaguers who had more attention pointed their way this year than the Angels Shohei Ohtani. From Los Angeles to New York, from Toyko to Beijing, from Facebook to Twitter, Ohtanis rookie season was written about and debated in a seemingly never-ending conversation.

Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseballs Two-way Japanese Superstar tells his story, on and off the field. But it couldnt have been completed without the tireless efforts by other journalists, and their work was used in researching and writing this book.

That includes Maria Guardado and Avery Yang of mlb.com; Dylan Hernandez, Mike DiGiovanna, Jeff Miller, Bill Shaikin, and Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times; Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register; Scott Miller of Bleacher Report; Bob Nightengale of USA Today; Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports; and Jim Allen of Kyodo News in Japan.

FOREWORD

BY MARK LANGSTON

I T WAS A couple of years ago when I first heard the name Shohei Ohtani from my mom, of all people. She had seen the 60 Minutes piece on him on TV and said that this guy Shohei, a Japanese player, was a great story.

Then, for Shohei to later pick the Los Angeles Angels to be his team to begin his career in the majors, out of all the many teams that wanted him, was really fortunate for me.

It gave me the chance to call Angels games with a team that included Mike Trout, the best player in the game of baseball, and Shohei Ohtani, the most exciting player in the game of baseball.

Shoheis rookie season was something we hadnt seen in a century of baseball. And it began with what I think was one of the most anticipated starts to a major-league career.

So many guys come over from Japan with incredible hype. But its so hard to live up to it because the players are so talented here in the majors.

Then, when Shohei had a disappointing spring training, he didnt have a track record from being in the major leagues. Many guys just flip the switch once the season starts after doing what it takes to get ready in the spring. But we know what they are capable of doing during the season because they have done it before.

But with Shohei, we were just basing what we knew about him off his spring training numbers, and he struggled. There was even talk of him opening the season in Triple A!

In my mind, he had established himself as a pitcher with his stuff, and stuff plays no matter where you play baseball. By stuff, I mean he could throw a baseball 100 miles per hour, and he had that splitter and slider. Those pitches came through loud and clear. He had shown in Japan that he could get people out with his stuff.

Where I thought he would have to prove he could compete was in the batters box. The adjustments opposing pitchers make are constant, and they are really, really good at it. They will expose any weakness that you have. So, if Shohei was going to struggle, I thought it would be in the batters box.

But he made the club, and then his first week was just electric. That first hit of his, that first pitching start, those three home runs in his first three home games... it was impressive that he made the adjustment so quickly from spring training to the regular season.

That started a season in which there was a buzz whenever Shohei played, both at home and on the road. We would go through towns, and the other teams radio broadcasters would want to know about him. And fans of those other teams were all wondering about this two-way player that they had heard so much about. They wanted to know what he was about, and they wanted to see him play.

It was fun to see how Shohei was embraced by fans in Southern California. When he pitched, it was an event that was off the charts. Angel Stadium was packed every time he started a game because his stuff was so electric that there was a possibility he could throw a no-hitter every time that he went out there.

Maybe Im so impressed with Shohei because I played 16 years in the majors and I know how hard it is to be good in even one element of baseball. There is so much preparation involved to be a good hitter. Then there is the intense preparation to be a good pitcher.

For Shohei to excel at both, at a very high level of competition, has blown me away.

When you look at his offensive numbers this year, although with fewer at-bats, they were similar to 2016, his best year in Japan. You see what he is capable of doing at the plate.

Then, in making those 10 starts before he hurt his elbow, he was performing like a top-of-the-rotation guy. I know he wont be able to pitch next year. But the future is so bright for this guy as a pitcher and a hitter.