Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has been having an electric season with the defending champions in 2025. It’s safe to say that the three-time MVP has picked up the pace right where he left off last year. While his hitting has been a scintillating spectacle, Ohtani has also started to throw some pitches in controlled practice sessions.
Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a single big league game since last pitching with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had asserted that the team is in no hurry to push Ohtani towards the mound considering his valuable contributions at the plate.
Ohtani, alongside the coaching staff, is progressing in a slow and steady manner. While everything has been going well for the four-time All-Star, it was a sad day for the two-way star and the entire Japanese baseball fraternity as they mourned the loss of a legendary ballplayer on Tuesday.
Shohei Ohtani Mourns Loss of ‘Mr. Pro Baseball’ Shigeo Nagashima
A real Japanese icon and a role model to many budding ballplayers of his country, Shigeo Nagashima breathed his last at 89 years of age in Tokyo, JP, on June 3. He was lovingly called ‘Mr. Pro Baseball’ in Japan and spent over 30 years in the NPB both as a player and a manager.
He was a Yomiuri Giants legend who played with the ballclub for 17 years and managed the same team in two different stints for a combined total of 15 years. Nagashima was a 13-time Japan Series champion, 11 times as a player and twice as a manager. The Giants had retired the No. 3 jersey in his honor, and he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Ohtani mourned the loss of Nagashima and paid tribute to his departed soul in an endearing Instagram post. The post contained images of the three-time MVP sharing frames with the legendary Japanese ballplayer. The caption on the post read, “We sincerely pray for the repose of your soul.”
While Mr. Nagashima will be remembered for his goodwill and an extraordinary career in the NPB filled with multiple personal and collective accolades, the Dodgers DH is also writing a similar story of his greatness in the MLB.
Shohei Ohtani is Projecting Remarkable Numbers on the Offense With the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025
Ohtani completed a blockbuster move to the Dodgers in the 2023 offseason and wasted no time in guiding the ballclub to the Fall Classic title in 2024, simultaneously winning his third MVP honor. This season has been no different, as the two-way ace has continued his remarkable form at the plate from last year.
He has a .292 batting average, with 23 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a 1.047 OPS in 58 games this season. Ohtani is projected to have over 60 home runs and more than 100 RBIs in 2025. The Japanese star looks well on his way to claim the fourth MVP honor of his MLB career and the third on the trot.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
