So how does he do it? Honestly? Nobody knows. It’s a secret. But we can guess.
His training is legendary. He reportedly does a pre-game routine that involves hitting, throwing, weight lifting, and mowing the outfield grass (okay, I made that last one up, but it wouldn’t surprise me). He sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber? Who knows?
But here’s my favorite fact: Ohtani’s pitching arsenal includes a “sweeper” pitch. It’s a nasty slider that breaks so hard it makes batters look like they’re swinging at a ghost. The sweeper is ridiculous. It’s basically a horizontal curveball that acts like a drunken hummingbird. Hitters just stare at it, baffled.
Dodgers plan for Shohei Ohtani to hit on days when he pitches
He’s Also a Goofball (And We Love Him for It)
Here’s the best part: for all his superhuman ability, Ohtani is a total dork. I mean that as the highest compliment. Have you seen his post-game interviews? He smiles, he laughs, he answers questions about his strikeouts with “I was just trying to throw strikes.”
And his dog, Dekopin? Yes, he has a dog. A fluffy, adorably-named dog. He brings his dog to the stadium sometimes. The dog is named after a Japanese citrus fruit. Think about that. The coolest player on Earth has a dog named after a mikan (tangerine). It’s so perfect.
He’s also notoriously humble. When he hits a 450-foot homer, he just jogs the bases like he’s going to the grocery store. No bat flips, no glares. Just pure, quiet dominance. It’s almost insulting how chill he is.
