Who is LA Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani?

A guide to baseball player Shohei Ohtani, Japan’s World Series-winning hero

The story of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar and his Porsche Taycan drive

25 November 2024

Baseball player Shohei Ohtani sat in a Porsche Taycan

With unique skills with both bat and ball, the Japanese baseball star is taking his sport to a whole new level. Find out how on a Porsche Taycan road trip in LA

Acclaim and Shohei Ohtani are never far from each other. Since 2018, when he first moved to Major League Baseball (MLB) from his native Japan to sign for the Los Angeles Angels, the baseball star has become an icon, not just in his homeland and the US but across the world. He’s racked up numerous individual awards, and now sits at the very top of his sport.

When he declared his intention to seek a new challenge at a new team at the end of 2023 it sparked enormous interest – leading him to moving across Los Angeles to sign for the LA Dodgers for what was reported to be the largest contract in professional sports history (as of November 2024).

Less than a year later, in October 2024, he helped his new team win Major League Baseball’s World Series, the pinnacle of the sport. On a road trip around Los Angeles prior to the World Series, Shohei got to find out all about the Taycan Turbo S – “Whenever I think about cars, Porsche always comes to mind,” says Shohei – so it’s only fair we got to find out all we can about him.

Shohei Ohtani and Porsche Taycan in neighbourhood baseball park — From the moment he moved from Japan to the US to play in Major League Baseball, Shohei Ohtani’s career has rocketed to the point where he became the highest-paid player in all of professional sport Photo: Porsche

Where was Shohei Ohtani born?

Shohei was born on 5 July 1994 in Ōshū in northern Japan and began playing baseball at an early age.

What was Shohei’s first professional baseball team?

At the age of 18, Shohei was drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, where he played until signing for the Los Angeles Angels of the MLB in 2018.

Why is Shohei such a unique baseball talent?

Players in the MLB focus on being either a batter or a pitcher – but Shohei is what they call a two-way player because he does both. To give you an indication of how uncommon this is at the top level of the sport, Shohei is considered to be the greatest two-way player since the retirement of the legendary Babe Ruth in 1935, perhaps the best-known baseball player in history.

The unique physical skills and challenges of being good at both disciplines means that players usually stick with just the one well before turning professional. However, when pitching Shohei can hit speeds of up to 165km/h (102.5mph) with his fastball. As of the end of the 2024 season, he had hit 225 home runs in MLB since his debut in 2018.

Shohei Ohtani’s baseball mitt and bats leaning on Porsche Taycan — Shohei found that the all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S was the perfect car for a road trip around his adopted hometown of Los Angeles Photo: Porsche

Shohei Ohtani on his early life

Growing up in Ōshū in northern Japan, Shohei wanted to be a professional baseball player from an early age. “I saw the players on TV and dreamed of being just like them. Then I’d eagerly wait for the weekend to come, so I could play myself,” he says.

What honours did Shohei achieve playing baseball in Japan?

Among the honours that Shohei achieved while playing in Japan was winning the title with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2016 – a season in which he was also named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was twice named his league’s best pitcher and was voted to the Pacific League All-Star team – a feat achieved by the best players in the league – in every one of the five seasons he played in Japan (2013-2017).

When did Shohei move to Major League Baseball?

After a highly successful career playing baseball in his native Japan, Shohei’s unique talents meant it was only a matter of time before he would be snapped by a team from the world’s biggest, richest and most famous league, Major League Baseball in the US. While there were many teams chasing his signature, it would be the Los Angeles Angels who’d be successful, signing Shohei on 9 December 2017. He made his debut in MLB on the opening day of the 2018 season, 29 March, against the Oakland Athletics. Two days later he made his debut as a pitcher, winning the game with six strikeouts over six innings. Just two days later, as a batter, he hit his first home run in MLB.

Despite an injury-hit season, Shohei was named the American League Rookie of the Year (MLB is split between two divisions, the American League and National League) in his debut season in the league.

Close-up of hands of Shohei Ohtani with baseball — Shohei’s rare ability as both a devastating batter and dominant pitcher marks him out as unique player in Major League Baseball Photo: Porsche

When did Shohei move to the Los Angeles Dodgers?

After a six-year career with the LA Angels in which he won two National League MVP awards, Shohei announced his intention to move to another team in 2023 after becoming a free agent. On 11 December that year, he signed a ten-year contract with the LA Dodgers worth $700 million, the largest contract in professional sports history at the time.

Winning the World Series with the LA Dodgers

In his very first season with the Dodgers, Shohei has helped his team secure the biggest prize in the sport by winning the World Series by beating the New York Yankees 4-1 in the seven-game series in October 2024. “I want to win championships,” Shohei said ahead of the World Series. “And when people look back at the titles that my teams won, they should know that I played a big part in that.”

What are Shohei’s MLB records?

Just as he did in Japan, Shohei has been racking up the records since he joined MLB. These include two American League MVP awards, being named as an MLB All-Star for four consecutive seasons (2021-2024) and numerous more, including the 2018 MLB Rookie of the Year prize. And, in November 2024, he was unanimously voted the National League MVP – making him only the second player in history to be voted the MVP in the two leagues that make up the MLB.

Shohei Ohtani on driving the Porsche Taycan Turbo S

“The car is really comfortable to drive, really quiet, and demonstrates its performance on every road,” says Shohei. “Porsche sportscars are so much more than just a means of transportation. They offer experiences and are so much fun to drive. I think that’s a good fit for me.”

Consumption and emission information

Taycan Turbo S (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 20.5 – 17.9 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A. Taycan GTS (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 20.7 – 18.1 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: .

Rear view of Porsche 911 GT3 RS in Fortnite game

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS joins Fortnite

Players of Fortnite can buy the Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the Fortnite online store

The complete list of Porsche cars in Gran Turismo 7

Which Porsche cars can you drive in the new edition of Gran Turismo? Here’s a comprehensive checklist to get you off the starting grid and on your way to unlocking iconic vehicles

What are the Porsche x Aimé Leon Dore cars?

The story of the New York-based fashion brand, Aimé Leon Dore, and its exciting Porsche restoration projects