Shohei Ohtani大谷翔平
The only player who pitches like an ace and hits like a slugger, in the same season.
Shohei Ohtani is the face of Japanese baseball abroad, and Japanese media track him daily. This page gives the basics: who he is, what he has won, how his contract works, and where to find the latest coverage from Japan.
Profile
| Team | Los Angeles Dodgers |
|---|---|
| Position | Pitcher and designated hitter |
| Number | 17 |
| Born | July 5, 1994 (age 32) |
| Hometown | Oshu, Iwate |
| Throws and bats | Throws right, bats left |
Profile details checked Nov. 4, 2026 against MLB.com and major news outlets.
Season stats
2026 hitting (MLB.com stats)
2026 pitching (MLB.com stats)
Stats refresh each morning from MLB data.
Career timeline
- 2013
Joins the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters straight out of high school and plays as both pitcher and hitter.
- 2016
Pacific League MVP; the Fighters win the Japan Series.
- 2018
Moves to the Los Angeles Angels and wins AL Rookie of the Year.
- 2021
First AL MVP award.
- 2023
Wins the World Baseball Classic with Japan and is named tournament MVP. Second AL MVP. In December, signs with the Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million.
- 2024
First NL MVP. Becomes the first player with 50 home runs and 50 steals in a season (54 and 59). The Dodgers win the World Series.
- 2025
Career-high 55 home runs and 102 RBIs, and returns to the mound. Wins the NL MVP unanimously, his fourth MVP. The Dodgers repeat as champions.
- 2026
Starts the season as a two-way player for the first time in three years: .275, 30 home runs and 81 RBIs as a hitter, 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA as a pitcher. Injuries to his left knee (June) and right biceps (July) limit him to hitting from July. The Dodgers are swept by Milwaukee in the NLCS.
Why "two-way" matters
Most players do one job. A starting pitcher throws every fifth day and rests in between, while a position player plays almost every day. Ohtani does both in the same season.
For a team, that means one roster spot holds an ace-level pitcher and a middle-of-the-order hitter. The cost is workload: his schedule around pitching days is managed more carefully than anyone else's, and injuries have repeatedly forced the Dodgers to choose which job he does.
How the $700 million contract works
About 97 percent of the deal is deferred. Ohtani collects $2 million a year during the ten playing years, and the remaining $680 million is paid in $68 million installments from 2034 to 2043.
The structure was reported as a way to give the Dodgers room to add other players. For luxury-tax purposes the contract counts as roughly $46 million a year.
Latest from Japan
Japanese outlets call it a loss for Ohtani. The line he lost to explains why.
Daily Sports headlined the Players Choice Awards as a defeat for Shohei Ohtani. Pete Crow-Armstrong's 40-40 season beat him in both categories.
Frequently asked questions
- What team and number does Ohtani wear?
- He plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers and wears number 17.
- How many MVP awards has he won?
- Four: the American League in 2021 and 2023, and the National League in 2024 and 2025. The 2025 award was unanimous.
- How much is his Dodgers contract worth?
- Ten years and $700 million, signed in December 2023. About 97 percent of it is deferred.
- What does "two-way player" mean?
- A player who both pitches and hits at a high level in the same season.