Baseball :: How Did Two-Way Stardom Become Reality? The Shohei Ohtani Story

Hello,

today's post continues our baseball legends series with Shohei Ohtani, the player who turned two-way stardom — pitching and hitting at an elite level at the same time — into a reality in modern baseball.

Since Babe Ruth, two-way play had largely been considered impossible at the highest level. Ohtani has taken it to a level baseball has never seen, winning four MVP Awards, every single one of them unanimous.

Today I want to walk through his career from the beginning.

Is it really possible to excel as both a top-tier pitcher and a top-tier hitter at the same time?

A Two-Way Dream That Started in High School

Ohtani drew attention as both a pitcher and hitter as far back as high school in Japan. When he signed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013, the contract itself was built around him playing both roles, a sign of how highly the club valued his talent from the start.

In 2016 with Nippon-Ham, he threw a Japanese pro baseball record 165 km/h fastball as a pitcher, while also qualifying for the batting title as a hitter in the same season and winning league MVP. It was around this time he earned the nickname "Nito-ryu," or "two-sword style."

At the end of 2017, Ohtani ended his contract with Nippon-Ham and declared for MLB free agency. Amid interest from multiple teams, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels to begin a new chapter.

The Angels Years — First and Second MVP

In his 2018 MLB debut season, Ohtani won AL Rookie of the Year as a hitter, adjusting successfully right away. He later underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow and dealt with some ups and downs.

His true breakout came in 2021. He hit 46 home runs as a batter while going 9-2 as a pitcher in the same season, winning the AL MVP Award unanimously. It was an unprecedented achievement for a two-way player.

In 2023, he led the AL with 44 home runs and won his second MVP, again unanimously. Late that season, though, he suffered another elbow ligament injury that required surgery once more.

Injury, a Move to the Dodgers, and a Record-Breaking Contract

Diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament late in the 2023 season, Ohtani underwent his second Tommy John surgery, which kept him off the mound entirely in 2024 — he played that year purely as a designated hitter.

In December 2023, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, setting a new record for the largest contract in North American sports history. It was a clear signal of just how much value he carries, on and off the field.

2024 — Making 50-50 Club History

In his first year with the Dodgers, even without pitching at all, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. On September 19, going 6-for-6 with three home runs and two stolen bases against the Miami Marlins, he became the charter member of the 50-50 club, a moment that's already etched into baseball history.

He finished that season with 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, and 130 RBIs, winning the NL MVP unanimously as well — his third career MVP Award.

2025 — Back on the Mound

In June 2025, Ohtani returned to the mound roughly a year and a half after his second Tommy John surgery. He threw 47 innings that season, striking out 62 batters and showing he still had elite stuff as a pitcher.

As a hitter, he set a career high with 55 home runs, drove in 102 runs, and stole 20 bases, leading the NL with a 1.014 OPS. He won the NL MVP unanimously once again — his fourth career MVP, and remarkably, all four have come by unanimous vote, a feat with no real precedent.

Behind only Barry Bonds for career MVP Awards, Ohtani has cemented himself as a singular player who performs at an elite level as both a pitcher and a hitter at the same time.