Angels News: Japan WBC Manager on When He Saw Shohei Ohtani Play for the First Time
Shohei Ohtani has quickly become the face of the MLB — but his talents didn't come overnight. The two-way superstar has made a concerted effort to turn his game into one that will transcend the sport of baseball, and that's exactly what he's done.
Ohtani's former manager in Japan, Hideki Kuriyama — who will also manage Ohtani in the upcoming World Baseball Classic — has seen Ohtani play since he was young. He was Ohtani's manager during his time with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and got to speak with FOX's Ben Verlander about just how special Ohtani was growing up.
The legacy of Yu Darvish was not something to easily surpass in Japan, but when Kuriyama saw Ohtani for the first time, he knew something special was coming.
"The first time I saw Shohei pitch was when we was a sophomore in senior high, just before the summer, and by chance, I was at a game and Shohei Ohtani happened to be the opposing pitcher. When I first saw him pitch from behind the home plate, well, Yu Darvish was the best pitcher in Japan at the time. I could already see Ohtani’s pitches coming with the arc and speed of Darvish’s pitches. I was really surprised."
His pitching dominance came into fruition early, and it wasn't long before Kuriyama saw Ohtani's abilities on the offensive side of the ball, too.
"For me, what I come to believe in is based on the things that I see with my own eyes. When he was a sophomore in senior high, he hit a liner to left field at the Koshien tournament. It was a very powerful shot into the opposite field. And that liner smashed into the fence. When it smashed into the fence, it still had the power to fly further. I had never seen anyone who could hit such a shot to the opposite field. Seeing that made me believe for certain that he could bat."
Kuriyama knew before many that Ohtani was going to be special. So he was far from surprised when Ohtani's two-way talents translated to him becoming the best two-way player in baseball history.
