Shohei Ohtani (sometimes spelled Otani or Ōtani) is a pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in NPB, then the Los Angeles Angels in MLB from 2018 to 2023.
Ohtani is a focus of fascination and delight because he is dominant both as a pitcher and batter, making him a two-way player on a level not seen in decades.
Ben is an especially big fan of Ohtani, making a point to tune in for his games and attend Yankees games when Ohtani's team is in town. This admiration sometimes borders on full-on infatuation, making for humorous discussions on the podcast.
The $50/month Patreon support tier has been named after Ohtani since November 2021.
Notable Episodes[]
- Episode 350: Ohtani's first appearance on the podcast! A discussion about the new NPB posting system earns a passing mention to Ohtani as being one of the next big players to go through the process to join an MLB team.
Shohei Ohtani Hypotheticals[]
Like his one-time teammate Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani has begun inspiring hypothetical questions of his own.
- Episode 1140: What would be the effect on a free agent's value if Shohei Ohtani said that he would only sign with a team that also signed his free agent friend?
- Episode 1143: If the Mariners sign Shohei Ohtani, how much hitting WAR would he need to offset the negative defensive value of putting their current DH Nelson Cruz in the outfield?
- Episode 1143: How much money could the world's best "come here" memo writer command to write such a letter to Shohei Ohtani?
- Episode 1146: What if Shohei Ohtani demanded that his team forfeit the DH when he pitches?
- Epiosde 1146: What if Shohei Ohtani said he would go to Cleveland on condition that they change their name and logo?
- Episode 1182: Would Shohei Ohtani get more plate appearances if he were a reliever who was Waxahachie-swapped with a southpaw?
- Episode 1202: If you could watch only Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout, which would you choose?
- Episode 1335: If Shohei Ohtani were secretly twins pretending to be the same person, would we ever notice?
- Episode 1402: If batter Shohei Ohtani faced pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who would win over a simulated season?
- Episode 1704: If batter Shohei Ohtani faced pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who would win?
- Episode 1725: What if Shohei Ohtani were allowed to stay in the game as a DH after being removed as a pitcher?
- Episode 1814: Would you reveal a secret power to save Shohei Ohtani from a career-ending injury?
- Episode 1873: What if Shohei Ohtani were traded to a team, but listing himself as the PTBNL, making it a rental?
- Episode 1885: If you were blessed/cursed with the knowledge that Ohtani would win a World Series if he gave up being a two-way player, but would be cursed with mediocre teams forever if he didn't, would you tell him?
- Episode 1943: What if all non-Dodgers teams pooled their money to bid on Shohei Ohtani?
- Episode 1962: What if Shohei Ohtani insisted on playing every defensive position in every game?
- Episode 1991: If Mike Trout made an ultimatum "Either Shohei Ohtani goes or I go", who would you keep?
- Episode 2012: How much would teams have tanked in 2017 if the worst team were guaranteed to get Shohei Ohtani?
- Episode 2021: What if it were revealed that Shohei Ohtani were twins pretending to be the same person?
- Episode 2033 + Episode 2034: How bad would a Shohei Ohtani trade have to be for the commissioner to void it?
- Episode 2045: Could Shohei Ohtani demand to be put on waivers and announce that he'd refuse to report to any team he didn't like?
- Episode 2045: Could Arte Moreno offer Shohei Ohtani a controlling stake in the Angels ownership group?
- Episode 2048: What if Shohei Ohtani announced that he would sign a 10-year league-minimum-salary deal with whichever team wins the 2023 World Series?
- Episode 2078: Could Shohei Ohtani break Barry Bonds's single-season home record if that's all he cared about?
- Episode 2109: What if Shohei Ohtani declared he would play for league minimum, but only for the Montreal Expos? Would any teams relocate/rename? Would MLB create an expansion team for him?
- Episode 2109: What if Shohei Ohtani could play for multiple teams?
- Episode 2113: What if Shohei Ohtani played for both teams in a two-team city, but only home games?
- Episode 2113: What if Shohei Ohtani played for all opponents of one specific team he hated?
- Episode 2113: If you could get a guaranteed injury-free Shohei Ohtani, but he could only pitch or hit (not both), which role would you pick?
- Episode 2157: What if Shohei Ohtani fell in with the wrong crowd and they forbade him from hitting a second homer in a game. Could he do so convincingly?
In the Facebook group[]
- Shohei Ohtani vs. Baby Shower: In April 2018, a member of the Facebook group RSVP'd to a baby shower before realizing it was on the same day that Ohtani was scheduled to pitch and asked the group whether he should blow off the baby shower. It received over 600 comments. The member subsequently appeared as a guest on Episode 1952.