Latest news with #OhtaniShohei
NHK
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NHK
Ohtani shares spotlight with pup in children's book
Major League Baseball star Ohtani Shohei's dog will be the protagonist in a picture book for children. The Japanese two-way player's dog, Dekopin, known as Decoy among US fans, drew attention after appearing in the first-pitch ceremony for a game at Dodger Stadium last season. Decoy gripped the ball in its mouth and delivered it from the pitcher's mound to Ohtani, serving as catcher behind the plate. Bobble-head dolls of Ohtani holding Decoy were distributed at the game. The picture book will be titled "Decoy Saves Opening Day." It tells the story of a dog tasked with the ceremonial first pitch for the opening game. But the animal leaves its favorite ball at home, then must struggle to make it in time for the event. Ohtani will be among the authors of the book. It will be released in February next year in eight countries including Japan.
NHK
15-07-2025
- Sport
- NHK
Ohtani to bat first as designated hitter in MLB All-Star Game
Japanese Major League Baseball star Ohtani Shohei is set to bat first as designated hitter in his fifth straight MLB All-Star Game. This year's game will take place at the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park on Tuesday. The rosters were announced at a news conference on Monday attended by the American and National league managers. Ohtani, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was selected to play in the game for the National league through fan voting. He will face off against the American League's starting pitcher, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. Skubal won last year's Cy Young Award for best pitcher and has 10 wins so far this season with a 2.23 earned run average, the second best in his league. Ohtani was asked by reporters about fans expecting him to hit a home run at the All-Star Game for a second straight year. He said he would be happy to hit a homer but that he will focus on hitting in his own way. Asked about what he thought of the American League starting pitcher, Ohtani said Skubal is a pitcher he would rather not go up against since he excels at every kind of pitch, including the fastball. He said he will try not to be overwhelmed by the pitcher's force. Japanese pitchers Yamamoto Yoshinobu of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kikuchi Yusei of the Los Angeles Angels have also been selected for the All-Star Game. But their regular season pitching schedules may prevent them from taking part.
NHK
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NHK
Ohtani and his dog star in epic rice field artwork
The hometown of Ohtani Shohei has honored the Major League Baseball star and his dog "Dekopin" by creating a massive likeness of the pair in a rice paddy. The image of Ohtani and his canine companion, better known as "Decoy," is attracting visitors to the site in the northeastern Japan City of Oshu in Iwate Prefecture. Every year, residents plant rice seedlings of different varieties to make an artwork in a 3,000-square-meter field in the city's Mizusawa-Sakurakawa district. This year, around 150 locals got together a month ago to plant seven varieties with white, red and green leaves. The best time to view the image of the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his dog will be through late July. Visitors can enjoy the view from a raised platform nearby.
NHK
27-05-2025
- Business
- NHK
Scalper arrested in Japan for reselling major league baseball tickets
A company president has been arrested for the illegal resale of tickets for this year's Major League Baseball opening series in Japan. The opening series was held at Tokyo Dome in March. The games attracted fans of Ohtani Shohei and other star players in Japan. Behind the scenes, the scalping of many tickets at inflated prices was discovered. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested a company president on suspicion of reselling 12 tickets for nearly 55,000 dollars. They were originally worth about 3,000 dollars. He put 62 tickets on a resale site. He is alleged to have resold two seats worth 1,500 dollars for about 28,000 dollars. He is believed to have made a total profit of more than 150,000 dollars. Police say the man has admitted to the charges. He stated he sold pro-baseball tickets on a resale site several times to earn extra income. A baseball fan said, "It's very unfair since those who want to see the games can't buy tickets at proper prices." One expert has pointed out the grave responsibility of resale site operators. Lawyer Fukui Kensaku explained that website operators receive commissions based on selling prices, and earn more from higher prices. "They could be held responsible for complicity, or at least social responsibility," he added. Fukui believes resale site operators should be required to run thorough checks on a voluntary basis. Efforts to clamp down on the scalping of tickets for sports events and concerts have not been very successful.
