Japanese 2-Way Star Ohtani Wins MLB Rookie of Year

November 13, 2018

Los Angeles--Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, a two-way player of the Los Angeles Angels, on Monday won the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year award.

Ohtani, 24, is the fourth Japanese player who became Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year, following Hideo Nomo as a pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, Kazuhiro Sasaki as a pitcher of the Seattle Mariners in 2000 and Ichiro Suzuki as a Mariners outfielder in 2001.

Ohtani gained four wins as a pitcher out of the 10 games he played. After damaging his right elbow, he focused almost entirely on batting. During the season, he hit 22 home runs, marking a record high for a Japanese MLB rookie.

Ohtani is the first two-way player to get at least four wins and hit a double-digit number of home runs in a season since Babe Ruth in 1919.

Ohtani said the award is good news for his supporters as well as for him, while expressing his regret for being absent from games as a pitcher at an important time.

In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference Tuesday local time that Ohtani made a "remarkable achievement."

"He played wonderfully as the first full-fledged two-way player since Babe Ruth," Suga said. "We hope he'll make further achievements in the coming seasons." Jiji Press