Japan’s MIZUSAWA Superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is frequently referred to as a once-in-a-century talent because of his ability to play both pitcher and hitter.

Traveling to Ohtani’s hometown of Mizusawa, in the Iwate prefecture of northern Japan, can help one comprehend how the baseball player became such a prodigy.

Ohtani still practices every weekend with the Mizusawa Pirates, his Little League club, at a diamond that’s positioned between a country road and a river that’s home to salmon swimming upstream from the Pacific Ocean.

Ohtani, who was between the ages of 8 and 14, performed here in the early 2000s.

“He and his parents came to this field to see me,” said Pirates founder and coach Shoji Asari.

Asari wondered if Ohtani would like to play baseball with the other kids at his school.

“But he looked straight into my eyes and said, ‘I want to play hardball with this team,'” Asari recounts. “I thought this boy could make it big, and he gave that impression, but he was very skinny at the time.”

Ohtani’s skill set soon eclipsed that of his teammates. He frequently hit home runs into the river by batting left-handed over the right-field fence. Baseballs lost started to rack up in cost, according to Asari.

“So I jokingly told him, ‘Don’t pull your hits, Shohei!'” he says. “After glaring at me like a knife, he launched his next home run towards left field. That, I believe, is when he discovered the joy of hitting opposite field.”

Since Major League Baseball’s Statcast data system started collecting them in 2015, Ohtani’s opposite-field home runs have become a defining characteristic of his batting, including the hardest-hit home run in the opposite field by a left-handed batter. Because the batter swings later and has less time to accelerate, opposite-field home runs require greater power.

Ohtani was an excellent pitcher as a child as well. Compared to other pitchers, he threw faster fastballs and had more curve in his sliders. They were exceedingly difficult to catch as well as difficult to strike.

Ryuki Sasaki was Ohtani’s high school catcher. “I had never caught a ball from a pitcher who could throw at more than 87 miles per hour,” Sasaki says.

He recalls how the pitches frequently resulted in sprained fingers. In addition, he claims, “his slider curves too much, and my body couldn’t react in time.” I had the hardest time at first hearing his tones.”

Players who are proficient in both pitching and hitting are referred to as nitoryu, or “two-sword style,” in Japanese, a moniker that honors the country’s former samurai warriors. Japanese Little League players practice repetition like in martial arts, and in Ohtani’s day, harsh discipline frequently included physical punishment.

However, Coach Asari adopted a novel strategy by prioritizing enjoyment over winning games.

As sports writer Nobuya Kobayashi, who has authored a book about Ohtani, puts it, “Most Japanese baseball players train hard how to play, suppress their own feelings, be patient and practice exactly as their coach says.” However, Coach Asari gave his players room to develop. Ohtani has so maintained his appreciation for baseball throughout.”

Kobayashi claims that watching Ohtani play will bring back fond memories for anybody who ever enjoyed playing baseball as a child.

Former catcher Sasaki says of his team’s victory, “it doesn’t matter what the outcome is for him; it just makes him happy.” “I think even now, he plays with the mind of an elementary school kid who loves baseball.”

In Japan, a lot of Little League players are permitted to pitch as well as hit; in professional baseball, this is less common, in part because pitchers must take breaks while hitters are allowed to participate in every game. Kobayashi praises Ohtani for his continued attempts to play two roles.

Ohtani agreed to stay in Japan and play for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, provided he was permitted to pitch as well as hit, despite his desire to play in the United States immediately after high school. He participated in team games from 2013 to 2017.

Ohtani, according to Kobayashi, was able to play on his terms and overcome opposition.

He explains, “The Japanese wanted to think that the twin sword method was impossible since it had no precedence. This is because of their attitude. Perhaps they were hoping that someone less remarkable than Ohtani would not emerge.”

Major League Baseball changed the rule last year that a pitcher can continue bat as a designated hitter even after being relieved on the mound, another illustration of how Ohtani’s extraordinary abilities have allowed him to bend or even rewrite the laws of the game. We refer to it as the “Ohtani rule.”

However, Asari and Kobayashi are among the analysts who are worried about the adjustments Ohtani has experienced while playing in the United States and the cost his dual route has exacted.

Asari comments, “It’s up to the kids, but really, it’s impossible,” regarding the two-swords approach. Nothing could compare to Babe Ruth, not even in America. Better not do that. You may sustain injuries.”

Conversely, Kobayashi contends that Ohtani has embraced the American baseball style, which he claims is all about power, and abandoned the Japanese method, which places an emphasis on timing and distance management. He thinks Ohtani has gained too much muscle and is concerned about possible injuries.

Although Ohtani has acknowledged experiencing some weariness this season, he leads the Major Leagues in home runs and ranks in the top five pitchers in strikeouts.

“He achieved success entirely on his own initiative. Of Ohtani’s success in the United States, Asari speaks modestly, “We had nothing to do with it.