“I was glad my mom and dad made it safe, all the way over" - When Shohei Ohtani turned emotional making MLB debut in front of his parents

Ahead of the 2018 season, Shohei Ohtani became a highly regarded international free agent after he was posted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Nearly every team wanted to sign him, but he ultimately chose the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani made the big-league roster out of camp and was in line to be the starting DH to open up the season. That happened as he debuted in MLB on Mar. 29, 2018, against the Oakland Athletics.

It was quite a moment for the Japanese slugger, getting his first hit during his first at-bat. What made the moment even more special is that his mother and father travelled from Japan to watch his debut. During an interview following the game, he shared that he would give that ball to his parents, via Yahoo! Sports.

"Since my parents are here, might as well give it to them. I was glad they made it safe, all the way over," Ohtani said.

It was quite the ask, but his parents would not have missed it for anything. Now that he had tasted success, he knew that his first season would be a learning experience, and he took it in stride.

"It's really been a learning experience. It's still too early to say whether it's going to be more harder or not. It's going to be a long season" he said.

Ohtani received more success later that year, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award with his .285 batting average and 22 home runs.

Shohei Ohtani has his parents to thank for his athleticism

Los Angeles Dodgers - Shohei Ohtani (Photo via IMAGN)

Since 2018, Shohei Ohtani has quickly become the face of the sport. He has done nothing but turn heads with his impressive power and ace-like attitude on the mound when he is healthy.

Ohtani can thank his parents for his elite athleticism. Both his father, Toru, and mother, Kayoko, played sports in high school and afterward.

Ohtani's father was a baseball player. He played for a corporate-sponsored team until he was 25. Afterward, he sustained an arm injury and focused on working full-time.

Ohtani's mother played badminton when she was in high school. She was a national-level player in her teens, and to this day, Ohtani says he still cannot beat her with a racket in hand.