Yankees icon CC Sabathia highlights Shohei Ohtani's 'dual threat' journey in ESPN documentary - "He is living out every baseball player's dream"

The LA Dodgers' latest acquisition, Shohei Ohtani, is on the path to becoming one of the most famous baseball players ever. As the recipient of the highest-valued contract ever and a role model for young people worldwide, the Japanese phenom's impact on the sport cannot be overstated.

A documentary film titled "Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream," directed by Toru Tokikawa and written by Min Hye Kim, Tao Tokikawa and Toru Tokikawa, was released on ESPN+ on Nov. 17 and is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

The film chronicles Ohtani's journey from rural Japan to stardom in Los Angeles, featuring in-depth interviews with coaches, players, managers and mentors who have influenced him throughout his Major League career.

Former New York Yankee star CC Sabathia was featured in the documentary and was all-praise for the two-way star.

“He is making it so kids don't have to choose, and you know, making it so kids can be both, pursue that dream of being a dual, a pitcher and a hitter because that's how you start playing the game,” Sabathia said.

“And that is our dream as kids, to hit a home run and strike guys out, and this guy is both in one. So he is living out every baseball player's dream.”

After Babe Ruth, the baseball world believed that his records would never be surpassed, let alone broken. However, that was until Shohei Ohtani arrived in the U.S. and joined the MLB in 2018. He dominated baseball in a way that had never been seen before.

"Shotime" has earned three All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger awards in just six seasons. He was also named the unanimous MVP twice, in 2021 and 2023.

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Stars who were featured in Shohei Ohtani’s documentary

Shohei Ohtani mentioned that he grew up watching and admiring several MLB stars such as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Randy Jhonson, Pedro Martinez, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and many others.

“Looked up to me when he was little leaguer is meaningful to me. I’m very happy to hear that,” Matsui, a former Yankees outfielder, said after hearing that he was one of Shohei Ohtani’s childhood heroes.

Ohtani also revealed in an interview that he was inspired by the pitching style of Pedro Martinez, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

“I’m really, really proud to see where he comes from and how he actually had that dream from so far out,” Martinez said in the ESPN documentary.

The film also featured Yu Darvish, a Japanese ace who plays for the San Diego Padres. Darvish talked about how Ohtani planned for his move to the U.S. while he was still playing in the NPB.

“Since Shohei couldn’t have been posted to MLB without the Fighters’ approval, I’m sure he had discussed it for a number of years,” Darvish said.

Nez Belano, the agent of Shohei Ohtani; Hideki Kuriyama, a former NPB manager and Ohtani's mentor; Mike Scioscia and Joe Maddon were also interviewed in the film.