大谷 翔平 – Shōhei Ohtani

Shōhei Ohtani is a professional Japanese baseball player who plays as both pitcher and outfielder.  On 12/8/17 (12/9/17 in Japan) it was announced that he had agreed to play for the LA Angels.  Ohtani is not only a two-way player but also the fastest pitcher in Japanese baseball history with pitches clocked at 165km/hr (102.5mph).

An old Japanese proverb says “he who runs after two hares will catch neither”.  Many people who used to criticize a pitcher for trying to be a two-way player changed their minds after they saw Ohtani in action.  When the U.S. major league teams were trying to get him sign, his concern wasn’t money.  He wanted a team that would allow him to continue to be a two-way player.  So why not?  Ohtani says “as long as I am happy, right?”