Table Of ContentCopyright © 2018 by Jay Paris Foreword © 2018 by Mark Langston All rights reserved. No part of this
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Interior photos by Associated Press, unless otherwise noted Cover design by Qualcom
Cover photo credit Associated Press ISBN: 978-1-68358-302-8
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-303-5
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Mark Langston
Preface
Chapter 1: “Hi, my name is Shohei Ohtani”
Chapter 2: Ohtani’s Youth Was Filled with Baseball
Chapter 3: On Second Thought, Ohtani Stays Put
Chapter 4: From the Preps to the Pros
Chapter 5: Breaking Out with Both Sides of His Game
Chapter 6: At Long Last, “Sho-Time” Was Headed to the Majors
Chapter 7: Time for L.A. to Introduce Its Heaven-sent Angel
Chapter 8: Spring Training Delivers More Questions than Answers
Chapter 9: Marching In with a Roar
Chapter 10: Ohtani Continues to Bloom in May
Chapter 11: Ohtani’s Elbow Stalls His Historic Journey
Chapter 12: Ohtani Inches His Way Back to the Mound
Chapter 13: Ohtani Enters August Looking to Get Right against Lefties
Chapter 14: A September to Remember
Photo Insert (after Chapter 6)
Before each Angels game, the song “Send Me An Angel” blasts through the
Angel Stadium sound system. I always had two angels at home, and they need to
be recognized.
If not for Jack and Jean Paris, my parents, I might not have grown so fond of
baseball overall and the local nine in particular. It was because of them, and their
trust, that a pint-size kid could cherish the summers of his youth cheering for the
California Angels, the Anaheim Angels, and, ultimately, the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim.
Jack Paris wasn’t a sports nut—far from it. His focus was on helping those
less fortunate as a dedicated Los Angeles County social worker for more than 30
years.
Jean Paris didn’t analyze box scores or batting averages, either. She was
busy molding tomorrow’s leaders by passionately teaching in nearby Tustin for
four decades.
But they appreciated my love of baseball, and they did all they could to see
that it flourished. That included letting me ride my Schwinn bike to games,
minus a helmet on my head or a cell phone sticking out from my back pocket.
They gave me the OK to arrive at Angels games three hours before the first
pitch for batting practice, then hang out for an eternity after the last pitch, just to
connect with my favorite Angels.
All of those associated with the Angels were keen in my eyes, but none were
cooler than Jack and Jean Paris.
Having Angels in the outfield, and infield, is one thing. But nothing beats
sharing a home with them when growing up, and I was blessed to do just that.
Jay Paris
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There were few major leaguers who had more attention pointed their way this
year than the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani. From Los Angeles to New York, from
Toyko to Beijing, from Facebook to Twitter, Ohtani’s rookie season was written
about and debated in a seemingly never-ending conversation.
Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-way Japanese
Superstar tells his story, on and off the field. But it couldn’t have been
completed without the tireless efforts by other journalists, and their work was
used in researching and writing this book.
That includes Maria Guardado and Avery Yang of mlb.com; Dylan
Hernandez, Mike DiGiovanna, Jeff Miller, Bill Shaikin, and Bill Plaschke of the
Los Angeles Times; Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register; Scott Miller of
Bleacher Report; Bob Nightengale of USA Today; Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports;
and Jim Allen of Kyodo News in Japan.
FOREWORD
BY MARK LANGSTON
IT WAS A couple of years ago when I first heard the name “Shohei Ohtani”
from my mom, of all people. She had seen the 60 Minutes piece on him on TV
and said that this guy Shohei, a Japanese player, was a great story.
Then, for Shohei to later pick the Los Angeles Angels to be his team to
begin his career in the majors, out of all the many teams that wanted him, was
really fortunate for me.
It gave me the chance to call Angels games with a team that included Mike
Trout, the best player in the game of baseball, and Shohei Ohtani, the most
exciting player in the game of baseball.
Shohei’s rookie season was something we hadn’t seen in a century of
baseball. And it began with what I think was one of the most anticipated starts to
a major-league career.
So many guys come over from Japan with incredible hype. But it’s so hard
to live up to it because the players are so talented here in the majors.
Then, when Shohei had a disappointing spring training, he didn’t have a
track record from being in the major leagues. Many guys just flip the switch
once the season starts after doing what it takes to get ready in the spring. But we
Description:Rarely does anyone use the term “two-way” in regard to a baseball player. Yet the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, at the young age of twenty-three, has become the epitome of the term, drawing comparisons to Babe Ruth by baseball pundits everywhere. After being drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon