Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Liam McKeone

Shohei Ohtani Gave Surprisingly Honest Quote About Playing in Japan

Shohei Ohtani played in front of his countrymen on Tuesday | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off the 2025 MLB season on Tuesday, taking on the Chicago Cubs across the Pacific Ocean in the Tokyo Series. In the first game of the year with first pitch early in the morning, the defending champion Dodgers defeated the Cubs, 4–1. Reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani picked up right where he left off, recording two hits and two runs in the victory.

Afterwards, Ohtani got reflective about playing in his home country and made a surprisingly honest admission: He was nervous out there.

"I was actually pretty nervous," Ohtani said while speaking to MLB Network's Harold Reynolds after the win through an interpreter. "It's been a while since I was nervous. But today, definitely felt it.

"It's a very unique environment, a unique situation where I do feel the fans expecting me to get some hits. So that was a little bit different."

It's shocking to hear if only because Ohtani has accomplished just about everything under the sun as far as the game of baseball is concerned. He's won a World Series, multiple MVPs and won the World Baseball Classic while playing for his country. How could he possibly get nervous about playing on his home turf?

As he explains, though, Tuesday was different. All of Tokyo Dome fell silent when Ohtani was at the plate, with tens of thousands intently observing the international superstar working at his craft. There were no cheers or boos. Just an entire country holding its breath every time Ohtani was at the plate.

Can't blame the guy for being nervous, through that lens.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shohei Ohtani Gave Surprisingly Honest Quote About Playing in Japan.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.