Shohei Ohtani’s ‘unicorn’ essence on full display in WBC

Editor's note: Samurai Japan won the World Baseball Classic title game Tuesday night, with Shohei Ohtani striking out Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out. This story was published the morning of the game.

MIAMI — As the best baseball players in the world congregated these past two weeks for the World Baseball Classic, one thing has been noticeable: There is only one two-way player in the entire tournament, and his name is Shohei Ohtani. 

But the way that those who have watched his star power up close describe him, Ohtani is so much more than merely a hitter and pitcher. The 28-year-old has mastered both crafts in a way that no other player in the history of baseball has been able to achieve.  

"I think they've nicknamed him the unicorn and it's so true," said Team Mexico manager Benji Gil, whose familiarity with Ohtani runs deep given his role as the Los Angeles Angels infield coach. "I have all the respect in the world for Mike Trout and for all the other great stars in the game of baseball, but he's unique. He's different." 

Ohtani is frequently compared to Babe Ruth, and in many ways the Great Bambino is the only real comparison to the Japanese star. Last year, Ohtani joined Ruth as the only two players in MLB history to record 10 home runs and 10 wins in the same season. That no player has even attempted to achieve that feat in 104 years is telling. Ohtani, of course, went well beyond those marks, finishing the 2022 season with 15 wins and 34 home runs and falling short of a second straight American League MVP only because of Aaron Judge’s historic 62-homer campaign. 

But Gil argued that the Ruth comparison doesn’t accurately highlight what Ohtani is doing. Ruth was exceptionally successful at both pitching and hitting, comparable to Ohtani in terms of innings pitched and plate appearances, for only two seasons in 1918 and 1919. Already, Ohtani has shown he can be successful as a two-way player at the major-league level for parts of three seasons, with no signs of stopping. 

"He plays two different sports. He really does," Gil said. "Because baseball pitcher and hitter are two different sports. It's like Lawrence Taylor and Joe Montana back then. He's basically Bo Jackson. You have to use two people to make an accurate comparison. And he's doing it when athletes are at the top of the game, and he's still amongst the best on both sides of the ball. It's incredible."  

Behind the scenes, the work that Ohtani has to put in just to take care of his body, as well as attending team meetings for both pitchers and hitters, equates to his Angels teammates and staff members oftentimes not seeing him around. There will be days when Ohtani will be in the same ballpark as his team, but he’ll be too busy with his arm care to socialize or even have a meal with company. Preparing his body to pitch and hit is extremely taxing, and that’s just the background production. 

"I don’t think people understand what each part of his game takes away from the other," FOX Sports MLB analyst John Smoltz noted during Monday's broadcast of Mexico-Japan. "He’s got to take BP [batting practice], he’s got to study the pitchers, and then he’s got to throw a bullpen, he’s got to get ready for a [start] once every six days. It’s a lot of things that most big leaguers don’t understand — just doing their job is tough, try doing two."

The unending work Ohtani puts in on a daily basis to stay healthy while maintaining peak performance is part of why players don’t attempt to be two-way players beyond high school and college ball.

"His regimen, what he has to do to prepare day in and day out, it's probably more than what anybody can imagine," Gil said. "And on top of it, he gets on base and he runs so fast that he's a stolen-base guy. He plays the game hard. Every ground ball he hits he runs as hard as he can. I mean, it's just incredible." 

Each of those talents have been on display throughout the WBC, and they're a major reason Japan has reached Tuesday's championship game against Team USA (7 p.m. ET, FS1). Ohtani's two pitching appearances resulted in two wins, 10 strikeouts and only five hits and two earned runs over 8 2/3 innings. At the plate, he's slashing .450/.621/.800 with five extra-base hits, eight RBIs, nine runs scored and nine walks through six games. 

With Japan trailing Mexico by three in the seventh of Monday's semifinal, Ohtani's leadoff single ignited a three-run rally. In the ninth, with Japan down to its last three outs and trailing by a run, Ohtani opened the frame with a double before scoring the tying run in his team's stunning walk-off win. As Japan's entire dugout cleared and rushed the field, its 6-foot-4 wunderkind who now makes a living overseas could be seen in the middle of the celebration, his unadulterated joy beaming through the pack.

Those who haven’t known Ohtani for a long time or have only met him once are equally impressed with his character. Though his on-field exploits spawn a superstar identity, Ohtani is widely received as a humble and down-to-earth guy who treats friends and strangers alike with class and kindness. When it comes to his work and arm care, Ohtani is selfish in that he will be diligent and committed to taking care of his body, even if it means he has to skip out on events with his family and friends. But when he’s not working, he’s unselfish in his humanity toward others. 

In the hours before Monday's WBC semifinal, when Ohtani wasn’t taking batting practice, he was saying hello and offering time to any reporter or fan that was on the field attempting to chat or catch a glimpse of him. It’s not every day that players at the top of the game in their respective sports have that much awareness, let alone selflessness, in giving up precious free time to do mundane interviews or sign autographs. Ohtani, however, remains sincere. 

Whether it’s his discipline, talent or concern for others, Ohtani exemplifies the meaning of the whole package.

"It almost seems like I'm shortchanging him, saying he’s once in a generation. It's lifetime," Japan teammate and Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar said. "The first day I met him he was great, a super nice guy. That was the first thing that popped out to me, was he was so welcoming. But then he threw a bullpen, probably hit 100 [mph], and then he went in the cage. He was hitting balls 118 [mph exit velocity], first game he hits two home runs. And then I watch him squat 400, 500 pounds. 

"There's things that you're like, well, you can't make this up. He gets off the squat rack, and then he's joking around. It's inhumane stuff. I've never obviously seen anything like it, and for him to be as humble and as genuine as a guy he is — he, along with the experience in Japan, has exceeded my expectations as well."

Already, we will remember Ohtani’s impact on the sport for the rest of time. Players, coaches, managers and fans will be telling their grandkids about the phenom that is Ohtani. But the best part is, he still has so much game left to play.

"He's not just the best baseball player in the world, he may be the greatest player in the world," Gil said. "I mean, he might be the greatest athlete ever."  

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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