Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is a baseball marvel.
Pitching and hitting both seem to come so easily to Ohtani, who has won three MVPs and has finished in the top-five of the Cy Young Award voting once in his decorated eight-year career. So much so that it's hard to believe that wasn't the case at one point in his life.
Ohtani, during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, was asked if he views himself more as a pitcher or a hitter.
"I feel like I was more talented as a hitter growing up," Ohtani said through his interpreter Will Ireton. "And it was hard for me to pitch actually. So I feel like I'm more of a hitter who learned how to pitch more than a pitcher learning how to hit."
"I feel like I was more talented as a hitter growing up..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 14, 2025
I'm a hitter who learned how to pitch"
Shohei Ohtani #ProgrumSummerRoadTrip pic.twitter.com/mnpvWL55De
It's incredibly difficult to believe that it was once hard for Ohtani to pitch. This is a man who just three seasons ago ranked among the top-five American League pitchers in ERA (2.33) and strikeouts (219). In 2025—his return to the mound after undergoing elbow surgery in September of 2023—he has permitted just one earned run and has struck out 10 in nine innings.
If pitching didn't initially come naturally to Ohtani, it's scary to think how much better he'd be on the mound if it did. Nevertheless, it's astounding how good he's become at a skill that once didn't come as easily to him.
All this to say: imagine the havoc a young Ohtani wreaked in Little League once he learned how to pitch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pitching or Hitting? Shohei Ohtani Reveals Which He Was Better at Growing Up.
