Shohei Ohtani is a lot of things, including being willing to find new ways to overcome the obstacles in front of him. He has been in the United States for years now, but his preference is to still speak Japanese when making public appearances.
Ohtani can speak English, but he is more comfortable in his first language. Normally, he has his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara with him whenever he addresses a more American audience.
However, during his acceptance speech for this MVP award last night, Ohtani surprised everyone. He went up to make his speech without Mizuhara and even gave the entire speech in English.
It was a cool moment for the game's biggest star, and fans loved every minute of it.
Within the speech, Ohtani shouted out the Dodgers organization for giving him his next opportunity going forward. Fans are excited for him to be a member of the Dodgers, and it seems Ohtani is extremely happy to be here too.
“To the Dodgers organization for believing in me, I’m looking forward to this next phase in my career.”
If anything, this will only enhance the popularity of Ohtani across the game of baseball. Fans will resonate with the attempts that Ohtani is making to learn more English and be more comfortable speaking it more often.
He is already the biggest star in the game across the world, and playing for the Dodgers will only increase that reality. The season starts soon, and Ohtani is gearing up for the chance to help his new team.
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