Shohei Ohtani is ‘Made In Japan’ with American adaptations

By STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is doing things no other player has ever done. His roots are deep in northeastern Japan where he played high school baseball and got his start. High school baseball in Japan is highly competitive and is run in a military-like fashion with countless practices with a focus on the development of spirit, teamwork and self-sacrifice. Ohtani took that background with him to the United States. Baseball was first introduced in Japan in 1872 and Ohtani is the product of 150 years of evolution that has also produced other top players like pitcher Hideo Nomo and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.