Japanese MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani recently broke records in sporting history by signing a $700 million, 10-year deal with LA-based baseball franchise, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fellow Japanese athlete and Los Angeles Lakers star Rui Hachimura has also commented on his countryman’s latest achievement and is happy for Ohtani to join the Dodgers.
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Back in 2017, Kobe Bryant had urged Ohtani to join the Dodgers, which might have sparked an interest in him to be a part of the team someday.
Hachimura and Ohtani have always been in contact, and the Lakers star believes this to be a huge affair in Japan, given that baseball is the biggest sport in the country. Furthermore, Hachimura acknowledged Ohtani’s popularity among LA’s Japanese diaspora, of which he considers himself a part. Giving his props to the newly anointed Dodger, the Lakers star said,
“He’s [Shohei Ohtani] wanted to do that for a long time. Even for me, too. LA has a big Japanese and Asian community. It’s good for us. We feel more at home. It’s good for Japan . I think it’s good for him. I think it’s going to be great.”
Here is a clip of Hachimura speaking to the press, uploaded by Dave McMenamin on X (formerly Twitter).
As Rui Hachimura is talking about the Dodgers acquisition of Shohei Ohtani, saying that Ohtani wanted to come to L.A. “for a long time,” LeBron interrupts to sarcastically thank him for hitting him in the head during the game pic.twitter.com/rgHDhjoYTG
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 16, 2023
Perhaps we can expect Hachimura to show his support for Ohtani whenever he dons the Dodgers’ white and blue kit in the MLB. Hachimura and Ohtani are currently two of the biggest Japanese sports icons based out of LA, or perhaps two of the best sporting legends to come out of Japan.
Shohei Ohtani aims to make his tenure with the Dodgers all about winning
After spending 5 years on the other side of LA with the Angels, Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers after much speculation. With this contract, the Japanese two-way superstar now prioritizes winning at all costs after joining this elite franchise. As reported by CNN, Ohtani told the press,
“I just saw my contract was 10 years, I’m not sure how long I will be able to play the game, so I do prioritize winning. That’s on the top of my list and I will probably never change and that’s one of the reasons why I chose this team.”
After a conversation with the Dodgers’ ownership group, Ohtani learned that the franchise considers its one World Series ring and continual playoff runs in the last 10 years a failure. Ohtani wishes to add to this hunger for winning and aim for victories to solidify himself as a legendary player in the franchise, as well as in the MLB.
