Hanamaki, Japan CNN — At a school in Japan’s snowy northern mountains, reminders of distinguished alumni are everywhere. “The presence of legends like Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi were a huge factor as to why I got into baseball – I fell in love with the sport,” Sasaki told CNN. Sasaki said this pivot to academia was inspired by his …
When Lee Jae-ik started on his path to Shohei Ohtani superfandom, his wife thought he was having a midlife crisis. Or that Lee, a high-achieving personality who is so protective of his time that his phone instructs callers to “just state your business,” was suddenly spending his hours after work buried in what he called “Ohtani study.” In truth, according …
People stop to take photos of a mural by artist Gustavo Zermeno Jr. featuring newest Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, left, and Mookie Betts. “You don’t really see many Asian faces on TV across any field, let alone sports,” said Siew, 34, who is Chinese American. The 68-year-old Japanese American was excited when Hideo Nomo joined the Dodgers in 1995 as …
TOKYO — In Japan they call pitcher Roki Sasaki the “Monster of the Reiwa Era,” which translates roughly into a “once-in-a-generation superstar.” In simple English, Sasaki is likely to be the next big thing out of Japan following Shohei Ohtani, who debuted five years ago with the Los Angeles Angels. He is something special,” San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish …
