By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Shohei Ohtani’s unprecedented first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers has brought the Japanese slugger to the brink of achieving his ultimate goal of winning a World Series.
Ohtani signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract in December and made the stunning decision to defer collecting $680 million of that to give the team more flexibility to sign top talent for a tilt at the championship.
“The goal was to get this far,” Ohtani said after the Dodgers beat the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.
“I also pictured getting this far with the contract that I’ve signed. I’m just glad we’re at this stage.”
Ohtani will reportedly make $2 million a year with the Dodgers until 2034, when he will begin to receive the deferred money in installments of $68 million a year over 10 years.
That means the 30-year-old will be on the Dodgers payroll for the next two decades.
In late February Ohtani made headlines again by announcing he had got married. Initially he did not reveal his wife’s identity but later made it known that he had wed Mamiko Tanaka, a former professional basketball player in Japan.
His first days with the Dodgers were pitched into controversy when his longtime translator and friend Ippei Mizuhara was accused of stealing from Ohtani to cover gambling debts.
An MLB investigation cleared Ohtani of any wrongdoing and Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to stealing $17 million.
Ohtani said at the time he was “saddened and shocked” by the actions of Mizuhara, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 20.
50/50
After undergoing elbow surgery in the offseason, the Dodgers announced before the season started that the dual threat would not pitch until next year, leading some to think he would not be able to contend for a third MVP award if he played strictly as a designated hitter.
But Ohtani’s power and speed saw him become the only player to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
He became the founding member of the 50/50 club in dramatic fashion, going six-for-six with three home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in a Sep. 19 win over the Miami Marlins, an effort hailed by some as the best single-game performance by a player in Major League Baseball.
History was made again when the home run ball he hit to reach the milestone sold for a record $4.39 million at auction this week, making it the highest priced ball from any sport.
Ohtani finished his astounding regular season with 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, 130 RBIs, and 134 runs while batting .310 and is the heavy favorite to win the NL MVP award.
Ohtani would become the first player playing strictly as a designated hitter to win an MVP award.
Above all the individual awards, however, Ohtani craves a World Series title most of all, and he will begin that quest when the best-of-seven series against the New York Yankees kicks off in Los Angeles on Friday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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