News Discussion

Shohei Ohtani Shows MLB What True Sportsmanship Is

Shohei Ohtani has won over legions of baseball fans with his consummate skill with bat and ball, as both a power hitter and pitcher. But he's also highly regarded for his deportment on and off the field. As a result, he is well on his way to becoming a new legend in Major League Baseball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, both based in Southern California, have long been bitter National League West rivals. Their June 19 showdown at Dodger Stadium came at the tail end of a rough-and-tumble four-game series in which batters were hit a total of eight times. Ohtani was also hit on his back in the bottom of the ninth during his fifth at-bat.

Many of those watching felt he was deliberately hit in retaliation for the earlier hitting of a Padres batter by a Dodgers relief pitcher. Ohtani did not pitch in the game.

Earlier, in the top of the ninth inning, a brawl broke out after the Padres batter was hit. As a result, the managers of both teams were ejected.

Shohei Ohtani Lightens the Mood in Tension-Filled Ballpark

The ballpark erupted when Ohtani got hit. However, he calmly walked toward first base while gesturing toward the Dodgers' dugout to wave back his teammates who were ready to charge the field. Then, with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, Ohtani headed toward the Padres' dugout. There, he spoke to outfielder Bryce Johnson, who was hit by a Dodgers pitcher in the seventh inning. "How's the pain?" asked Ohtani.

That unexpected gesture brought immediate calm to the tension-filled ballpark.

In the American baseball world, where it is sometimes said that "brawls light up MLB," it took the person who had just been hit by a pitch to calm down both teams. His gesture prevented the game from being ruined. Ohtani's surprising behavior won praise from US media and celebrated former ballplayers alike.

Sports Recollections From the Past

Two scenes from the past come to mind.

In a 1968 game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers, Sadaharu Oh was hit in the head by a pitch and carried off the field on a stretcher. The next batter, Shigeo Nagashima, who had not participated in the brawl, hit a home run even while the ambulance siren could still be heard in the distance. Nagashima's philosophy was that the play on the field should decide who got the better of the quarrel.

When asked about the news that Nagashima had passed away on June 3, Ohtani said, "He was a man filled with a deep love for baseball, and we, the active players, want to pass on that passion to the next generation."

Ohtani's thinking can be summed up in the statement, "Even if we are battling as rivals on the field, at heart we are all fellow lovers of baseball."

Another memory comes from the world of judo during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In the open-weight class final, Dutch judoka Anton Geesink unexpectedly won by ippon against Japan's ace Akio Kaminaga. Right after the decision was announced, the elated Dutch staff members began running onto the tatami mats. However, Geesink stopped them cold by raising one hand.

Geesink's action resembled Ohtani's gesture at Dodger Stadium. In both cases, a sport's giant who had come from afar did not hesitate to uphold the proper etiquette and dignity of the sport in its homeland.

Playing With a Smile

Ohtani was back in the starting lineup in the game against the Washington Nationals on June 20 with a smile on his face. And he proceeded to deliver a timely hit.

After the game on June 19, speaking from the Padres bench, star pitcher Yu Darvish said, "We are lucky to have Shohei."

And by "we," Darvish did not just mean members of the two rival teams. Rather, he meant baseball fans everywhere, including Japan and the United States.

Ohtani is now someone in whom everyone, everywhere, can be proud.

1. 1. consummate　完成された、申し分のない
   Everyone said he was a consummate host at the party.
2. 2. deportment　ふるまい、態度
   Her calm deportment during the meeting impressed her coworkers.
3. 3. brawl　乱闘、騒動
   There was a brawl outside the bar, so the police were called.
4. 4. uphold　〔原則・礼儀などを〕守る、支える
   As a teacher, I try to uphold fairness in every class.
5. 5. elated　大喜びして、興奮して
   I was elated when I got the job offer from my dream company.

1. 1. Why was Shohei Ohtani hit by a pitch in the ninth inning?
2. 2. What did Ohtani do that helped calm down the tense ballpark?
3. 3. What past sports events were mentioned to compare with Ohtani's action?
4. 4. Have you ever stopped a fight or helped calm down a tense situation? What happened?
5. 5. Do you think how athletes behave off the field is as important as their performance? Why?

バットや剛球だけでなく、大谷翔平選手はその立ち居振る舞いでも称賛を集め、大リーグの新たな伝説になろうとしている。

4連戦で8死球が飛び交った大荒れのドジャース―パドレス戦で6月19日、大谷は九回裏の第5打席で報復と受け取れる死球を受けた。

九回表には死球をめぐって乱闘騒ぎとなり、両軍監督が退場処分となった直後である。場内が騒然とする中、大谷は一塁に歩きながら、左手でベンチを飛び出そうとするドジャースナインを押しとどめた。

さらに両手を後ろに組んだまま笑顔でパドレスベンチに歩み寄り、七回に死球を受けたジョンソン選手を「痛みはどう？」と気遣ったのだという。これで球場は平静を取り戻した。

「乱闘は大リーグの華」とまでいわれた米球界で、死球の当事者が両軍を鎮め、野球を壊さなかった。異例の行動に米メディアや大物OBらは、こぞって称賛を惜しまなかった。

2つのシーンが蘇（よみがえ）る。

昭和43年の巨人―阪神戦で王貞治選手が頭部に死球を受けて担架で運ばれ、乱闘に一人参加しなかった次打者の長嶋茂雄さんは救急車のサイレンが届く中、本塁打を放った。決着はあくまで野球でつけるのだとプレーで証明したものだ。

長嶋さんの訃報に触れ、大谷は「野球への愛情が深い方、その情熱を現役の僕らが次の世代につないでいきたい」と話していた。大谷の持論は「敵味方に分かれて戦っていても、野球を愛する仲間同士」というものなのだという。

昭和39年の東京五輪、柔道の無差別級決勝では、オランダのヘーシンク選手が日本のエース神永昭夫選手に一本勝ちした直後、歓喜のあまり畳に駆け寄ろうとしたオランダのスタッフを片手で制して押しとどめた。

遠来の強者が本場で、柔道という競技の持つ本来の礼節と尊厳を守ったという意味で、大谷の姿とも二重写しとなる。

大谷は20日の試合でも笑顔で先発出場し、タイムリー安打を放った。19日の試合後はパドレスのベンチで、ダルビッシュ有投手が「僕らは翔平がいて幸運だ」と話したのだという。

「僕ら」には両軍選手だけでなく、日米を含む全ての野球ファンが含まれる。大谷は今や、誰もが誇るべき存在である。