Shohei Ohtani, who starred as a pitcher at the inaugural WBSC Premier12 2015, became the first player to be selected for the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game as a starting pitcher and a designated hitter. The 2012 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup was a foreshadowing of what was to come, as Ohtani pitched, batted clean-up and even patrolled the outfield during the youth world championship in Seoul, Korea.
In his latest record-breaking performance, Ohani blasted his league-leading 32nd home run of the season to claim the MLB record for most single-season home runs by a Japanese-born player, surpassing Hideki Matsui's 31.
Ohtani, 27, is in his fourth season with the Los Angeles Angels. He has so far appeared in 81 games as a hitter, going 81 for 290, .279 batting average, with 32 home runs and 69 runs batted in (RBIs). He has started 13 games as a pitcher and has a 4-1 record and a 3.49 earned run average. He struck out 87 over 67 innings.
Ohtani had previously played five Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He appeared in 403 games as a hitter, posting a .271 batting average with 79 home runs and 216 RBIs. He had also pitched in 85 NPB games, 62 as a starter, posting a 42-15 record and a 2.52 earned run average, striking out 624 over 543 innings.
Ohtani is one of the 22 internationally-born players to have been selected for the All-Star game. The list includes players born in the Dominican Republic (7), Venezuela (5), Japan (3), Cuba (2), Aruba (1), Australia (1), Canada (1), Curaçao (1) and Puerto Rico (1).
The MLB All-Star game is scheduled for Tuesday, 13 July and will be televised worldwide in 15 languages across 223 countries or territories.
The All-Star Week also includes the MLB Amateur Draft, to be held from 11 to 13 July.
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