But Ohtani is beating the American in his own way. “He could hit home runs 500 feet, throw the ball 160 miles per hour, and was bigger and stronger than most Americans,” he wrote in Japanese baseball publications such as “You Gotta Have Wa.” says Robert Whiting, author of several books.
Had Nomo, Hideki Irabe and Alfonso Soriano challenged Japan’s restrictions on player movement in the 1990s, Ohtani’s Routhian contract may never have been signed. For example, Nomo retired from Japanese baseball to sign with the Dodgers, but when his former team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, signed a contract to transfer him to the San Diego Padres, Irabu objected. Irabu was later sent to his desired destination, the Yankees. Soriano followed a few years later, being drafted by the Hiroshima Carp as a teenager.
“The real credit for the growth of the Japanese market in the U.S. goes to Nomo, Irabu and Soriano,” said Gene Orza, a longtime attorney for the MLB Players Association. “Those three people broke the dam. Ohtani is truly grateful to them.”
And even if the Dodgers can’t get money back from Ohtani directly, they may be in for the long haul. They have made the playoffs 11 years in a row, but only won the World Series once. Teaming Ohtani with two other former MVPs, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and a talented pitching staff, the Dodgers could be the most dominant team of the decade.
This is a far cry from the Angels, who never made the playoffs or even had a winning record during Ohtani’s six seasons with the team.
“If the Dodgers win two or three World Series in the next six or seven years, Ohtani will become the face of the franchise and an entire generation of fans will follow the team for years to come,” Gennaro said. .