They say that you must first leave your mark on the land where you were born in order to succeed in other latitudes and as if it were instructions in a book, the great Shohei Ohtani has followed them to the letter to become what he is now, a superstar of world sport.
Before making the leap to the Major Leagues, Ohtani had already won over the fans with his great talent, with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the NPB, with whom he won the Japan Series in 2016, and with the Japanese national team a year earlier, work that was crystallized in 2023 with the conquest of the World Baseball Classic against China, the third for the Land of the Rising Sun, and in which he was named MVP.
A cold and warm tribute at the same time
Once he went to the United States to try his luck with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, Ohtani never lost his fan base in his home country, who continue to applaud his achievements in the American Major Leagues, and take every opportunity to make the native of Oshu, Iwate, feel it
A great example of the connection between Japanese fans and Shohei Ohtani came during the Sapporo Snow Festival, where the famous two-way baseball player was honored with a huge snow sculpture that also features his famous dog Decoy.
A big surprise for Ohtani
Of course, the sculpture at the festival quickly became one of the biggest attractions and one of the most photographed, as it is reported that there were huge queues to be able to take a selfie in front of it.
Ohtani received the surprise during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ winter camp in Glendale, Arizona, where the 2024 World Series champions are preparing for the following season, in which the Japanese player would pitch for the first time since arriving at Chavez Ravine.