Ohtani, the "No. 3 designated hitter," declared to play in the opening game in Seoul, and the Dodgers' strongest MVP trio appeared at Gocheo
LA Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani said he will recover from elbow surgery and play as a designated hitter in the Major League's opening game in Seoul.
Major League Baseball's official media outlet mlbcom said on Monday (Korea time), "Ohtani is recovering from elbow surgery last year. It is reported that he will not be able to take the mound as a pitcher this year. However, Ohtani can have a big impact on his performance at bat, unlike other Major League players. He is recovering well from his injury from the Dodger Fest, and he is confident that he will serve as the designated hitter in the game against San Diego on March 20 in Seoul, Korea."
Ohtani is a major league hitter with a combined batting average of 2.74 (681 hits in 2483 at-bats) in 716 games, 86 games (481 ⅔ innings) as a pitcher, 171 homers, 437 RBIs, OPS.922, 38-19 and a 3.01 ERA. He made his stellar debut by winning the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2018, and has since continued to receive both pitching and hitting jobs.
His potential is in full swing starting in 2021. As a pitcher in 2021, Ohtani was unanimously chosen by the American League as he batted .257 (138 for 537 ⅓ innings) with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs with an OPS.965 and 9 wins, 2 losses and a 3.18 ERA in 23 games (130 innings). He won the MVP award. In 2022, he was second to Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who broke the American League home run record (62 home runs) in voting for MVP, but last year as a batter, he batted .344 (151 for 497 times) with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs with an OPS 1.066 in 135 games. As a pitcher, he also won the MVP award for the second time with a 10-5 record and a 3.14 ERA in 23 games (132 innings). Ohtani is the first player in MLB history to win the MVP award twice.
Ohtani, who became a free agent at the end of last season, became a baseball sensation by signing a 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Dodgers. It is the biggest contract in professional sports history, surpassing Mike Trout's 12-year, 426.5 million-dollar contract with the Angels and Lionel Messi's 674 million-dollar contract with Barcelona.
Ohtani's debut game for the Dodgers will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. This is because the Dodgers and San Diego will play their regular season opener at Gocheok Dome on March 20 and 21 as part of the Major League World Tour.
Major League Baseball is hosting games in many countries around the world in order to globalize baseball. So far, Major League Baseball (MLB) games have been played in 29 cities in 11 countries. However, regular season games in MLB have only been played in Tokyo, Mexico City and Monterey, Mexico, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Australia, Sydney, and London, the U.K. Korea will host its 12th MLB game at Gocheok Dome this year. Seoul is the fifth city in history to host regular season games, following Monterey, Mexico, Tokyo, Japan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Sydney, Australia.
Some forecast that Ohtani may not be able to play in the Seoul Series due to an elbow injury. However, Ohtani is making smooth progress in rehabilitation. We are not ahead of the game, but we are not behind. It is exactly as scheduled. He expressed confidence that he will play as the designated hitter for the Seoul opening game, saying, "If there is no problem, I will prepare."
This year, the Dodgers formed the MVP lineup, which consists of Mookie Betts, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman, and Ohtani joined. Ohtani was a two-time unanimous MVP, Betts won the 2018 American League MVP, and Freeman won the 2020 National League MVP. With Ohtani's participation in the Seoul Series, Korean baseball fans will be able to see the Dodgers' three powerful MVPs in their full form.
Betts, who boasts an impressive winning career including MVP, seven All-Star, six Silver Slugger and six Gold Gloves, had a batting average of 377 (179 hits in 584 at-bats) with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs in 152 games last year. Betts, who came to the Dodgers in a blockbuster trade with Boston in January 2020, signed a 12-year, $365 million contract extension with the Dodgers shortly after his transfer.
Freeman also has a notable winning history, including MVP, seven All-Star awards, three Silver Slugger Awards, and one Gold Glove Award. Last year, he batted .333 (211 for 637), 29 homers, 102 RBIs, and 976 OPS in 161 games. Freeman, a star of the Atlanta franchise, led his team to a World Series victory in 2021, and after the season ended, he signed a six-year, $162 million (W216.8 billion) contract with the Dodgers to wear the Dodgers' uniform.