What team did Shohei Ohtani play for in Japan? All you need to know about Dodgers superstar's pre-MLB stint

Before showcasing his talents stateside, Shohei Ohtani used to ply his trade for Nippon Professional Baseball's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Having made his debut for Hokkaido in 2013, baseball's modern-day icon spent five productive years with the ball club.

The Nippon-Ham Fighters, who were founded in 1946 as the Senators, are based in Japan's Northern island of Hokkaido. The club spent a majority of its existence in mediocrity before establishing itself as a perennial playoff contender starting in the mid 2000's.

Shohei Ohtani was selected by the Nippon-Ham Fighters in the first round of the 2012 NPB Draft. Tagged as one of the best high school prospects at the time, the eventual modern-day GOAT once threw a 99 mile an hour fastball at the most prestigious amateur tournament in Japan, the Summer Koshien.

Upon his arrival in Hokkaido, Ohtani was tasked in taking up the mantle of recently departed pitching star Yu Darvish who left for the MLB in 2011. Darvish delivered two Pacific League pennants and 2006 Japan Series title for the team during his stint in the Northern island.

The two-way star's stint in Hokkaido would be as productive as the fans had hoped for as he was selected into the NPB All-Star game during all of his seasons with the club. He would also repay the trust by the team as the Nippon-Ham Fighters would clinch three playoff berths starting in 2014 that was ultimately capped off by a Japan Series title in 2016 under the tutelage of mentor Hideki Kuriyama.

After posting a 42-15 record with an ERA of 2.52 and 624 strikeouts, along with 48 home runs and 166 runs batted in for Hokkaido, Ohtani elected to be posted at the conclusion of the 2017 NPB season and made his way to MLB.

Shohei Ohtani's reunion with Hideki Kuriyama

When the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters drafted Shohei Ohtani in 2012, there was no guarantee that the young baseball star would sign for the club as he was being linked to squads outside of NPB such as the Dodgers and Yankees.

However, club skipper Hideki Kuriyama placed his faith on the two-way prospect and helped him blossom to the star that he is today. After Ohtani left the Nippon-Ham Fighters, it was almost certain that the two men wouldn't cross paths in the field again as being mentor and mentee is concerned.

However, the two men's paths would cross again as after Kuriyama's departure from Hokkaido in 2021, he was tapped to manage Samurai Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Under Kuriyama's leadership, the squad reclaimed their status as the top international baseball team in the world—a title that has eluded them since 2009. As a bonus, Kuriyama's decision to make Shohei Ohtani as the team's captain paid off as the latter closed out the tournament after an intense final that saw him strike out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate and Team USA captain Mike Trout.