Fastball

Free Agent Shohei Ohtani Goes Viral For Generous Gift to Home Country

Shohei Ohtani, the most coveted free agent in baseball history, is also a great guy who is giving back to his home nation of Japan.
Brady Farkas|
Free Agent Shohei Ohtani Goes Viral For Generous Gift to Home Country
Free Agent Shohei Ohtani Goes Viral For Generous Gift to Home Country

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Los Angeles Angels

Before he signs what will likely be the biggest free agent contract in baseball history, Shohei Ohtani is going viral for his generosity.

Ohtani announced an incredible gift to the youth of his home country - Japan - on Thursday.

Per MLB on social media:

Shohei Ohtani is giving baseball gloves to every elementary school in Japan: "

I’m happy to announce that I will be donating approximately 60,000 youth gloves to every elementary school in Japan. That comes out to around 20,000 elementary schools. I’m hoping the kids can spend their days happily with a lot of energy through baseball."

Baseball is a huge part of Japanese culture and Ohtani is doing his best to make sure it stays that way. He represented Japan at the most recent World Baseball Classic (2023) and helped the Japanese team win the title.

Perhaps the most talented baseball player to ever play the game, Ohtani hit .304 this year for the Los Angeles Angels. Despite missing the last month of the season with injury, he hit 44 home runs and drove in 95. He led baseball with a .412 on-base percentage.

As a pitcher, he also dominated, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA. He struck out a whopping 167 batters in 132.0 innings. 

After spending six years (injured in 2019) with the Angels, Ohtani is headed to free agency for the first time. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and the Angels all figure to be players in the conversation.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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