In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Power Pros video game series and the 20th anniversary of the spinoff Professional Baseball Spirits, Shohei Ohtani has been named ambassador for the baseball game by the content section of Konami Group.
In December, Ohtani inked a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This appointment comes after him. Some of the athlete’s corporate sponsors, including Kose and Seiko Group, benefited from the largest deal in Major League history, while others, like the online job agency Dip, used Ohtani as a brand ambassador.
Tuesday saw a 0.8% increase in Konami’s stock price before trimming gains. The stock has gained 16% since the beginning of the year. As the trading day came to a close, shares fell 0.8%.
A ruptured ulnar collateral ligament in Ohtani’s right elbow was discovered in August; he turns 30 this year. During a video chat, the two-time league MVP discussed his recent adoption of a dog named Dekopin and how the animal helped him with physical therapy.
What One Angels Pitcher Will Miss Most About Shohei Ohtani
While no one else from the Angels’ pitching staff was on camera Tuesday, Reid Detmers may as well have been.
Shohei Ohtani has been playing with a club that lacked a native Japanese speaker for the past six years due to a glaring language barrier. Ohtani served as an inspiration to every member of the Angels’ squad due to his status as baseball’s sole full-time two-way player.
Detmers claims that Ohtani’s example needed no further clarification. It was able to overcome the obstacle of language. Seeing Shohei Ohtani, one of the top hitters and pitchers in the American League, put in the work to become the finest player in baseball, was an inspiration to his colleagues.
That was the one thing that Detmers mentioned most when asked about Ohtani in a Tuesday interview with “Foul Territory.”
Clearly, Shohei is incredible. It was insаne how he conducted himself. He made it appear easy, but I have no idea how he managed to juggle both. He is somewhat reserved when it comes to pitching. He’s shy and reserved, but seeing his routine in the weight room and bullpens may teach you a lot. The aspect that will be most missed by me is observing his bullpens and watching him play catch.
In parts of three seasons with the Angels since his 2021 debut, Detmers, 24, has a record of 12-19 with a 4.37 ERA. Along with Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Canning, Tyler Anderson, and Chase Silseth, Detmers is one of the most veteran pitchers on the Angels staff, and he is about to embark on what may be his third full season in the major leagues.
Ohtani, who impressed everyone with his 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts for the Angels, will now have to put what they learned into practice. The Dodgers were able to secure Ohtani’s services in December as a free agent.
The Angels still have roughly one month until the start of spring training for pitchers and catchers, but they will never be able to fill the roster void that Ohtani created.