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Since his move to the MLB in 2018, Shohei Ohtani has proven to be a generational talent, and his fame has reached unprecented heights across the globe.
While there have been many great sportsmen who have achieved global fame, none have done so like the Los Angeles Dodgers star. Former Seattle Mariners star Harold Reynolds explained how much influence Ohtani has on people in his home country.
When Shohei Ohtani first signed the with the Los Angeles Angels in the winter of 2017, he was already one of the best players in Japan and the reigning MVP there. Since then, he has won two MVP awards during his time with the Angels and added a third in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.
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Ohtani's first season with the Dodgers was a historic one, as he became the first player to record a 50-50 season. Moreover, he led them to the World Series title in convincing fashion. Reynolds said on The Rich Eisen Show about Ohtani's influence beyond the U.S.:
"I was fortunate to go to Japan, so I was there for the Cubs-Dodgers series, they played a couple of exhibitions before and I'll give you a couple of stories of why I say he's the biggest star on the planet. ... Shohei Ohtani, I don't care if he put his toe out of the dugout, people went bananas.
"I'd never seen this ever before. He gets in the batter's box to hit. And as soon as he's walking up they're going nuts, gets in the box and ready to hit. Pitcher gets his sign, as soon as the pitcher gets his sign, it goes dead silent. 50,000 people you can hear a pin drop. They deliver the pitch and he'd foul it off or take it or whatever and the crowd would go, 'Aahh'. And then back to silent once the pitcher got in. It was incredible."
With every record-breaking season, Shohei Ohtani's fame grows across the globe. Having reached unprecedented heights of fame, he's heading into the 2025 season looking to defend his first World Series title.
The Dodgers are undoubtedly the favorites to win the championship again, and it will be no surprise to see Ohtani break more records along the way.
Shohei Ohtani blasts a home run in Opening Day vs Tigers
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has started the 2025 season right where he had left off last year. After a convincing win over the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series, Ohtani helped his team to victory in the home opener against the Detroit Tigers with an opposite field homer in the seventh inning.
The Japanese star now has two home runs in the first three games of the 2025 MLB season. Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez also homered as the reigning champions recorded a 5-4 victory over the Tigers on Thursday.
