Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Talks Retirement, Rehab, Responsibility in Revealing Interview
Shohei Ohtani is a man of few words. His media appearances are carefully guarded. The precedent he set over six years in Anaheim with the Angels is still playing out in his first spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In an offseason interview with GQ Japan that was rare for its length, Ohtani spoke about a variety of topics: his rehabilitation from elbow surgery, his dog, his early relationship with the game of baseball and his intention to play out all 10 years of his $700 million contract with the Dodgers.
The interview was curated around some carefully posed photographs in a variety of fashion styles — no surprise to longtime readers of the magazine. And because it was conducted before Ohtani’s public revelation of his marriage, it contains no details about life with his mystery partner.
Because it was conducted after Ohtani debuted his dog, Dekopin (or “Decoy”), we learned something about their relationship. Each of these responses were translated using an AI assistant and edited lightly for clarity:
“I originally wanted to have a dog, but (that desire) seems to have been accelerated by the surgery. Now it’s a dog and rehabilitation. That’s all I have .. I’ve been living alone for a long time, and I’ve never felt like being alone, but once I get used to living with a dog, I can’t leave him anymore (laughs). I’m always with him when I’m training and running.”
— Shohei Ohtani
On living — and playing — without regrets:
“[Baseball] is a job where you never know when you’ll get seriously injured, and if it doesn’t work out, you can just quit. That’s why I want to be prepared for it to happen at any time, and live each day without regrets. I’m optimistic.”
— Shohei Ohtani
On how he envisions his life 10 years from now:
“39 years old, 40 years old … I still want to play baseball. If possible, I want to be active (laughs). Of course, the day will come when I will retire, but I want to continue to like baseball at that time. My goal is to like baseball, not to think that I don’t like it, or to want to quit.”
— Shohei Ohtani
On how his relationship with baseball has evolved over the years:
“It’s consistently like a hobby since I started playing baseball in the lower grades of elementary school. At first, catch was simply interesting, and I wanted to play baseball on the weekend as soon as possible. It’s completely a sense of play. The fun of winning the game and hitting a home run was added there, and I also learned the joy of practicing. That kind of fun and happiness have piled up now. Of course, there is also an aspect of work now, so I also want to fulfill my responsibilities. But after all, there is both the fun of playing baseball and the fun of setting goals and achieving them.”
— Shohei Ohtani
The full article can be read here.
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Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
