Angels teammates knew Shohei Ohtani was special from the start

It was before the pandemic, when Shohei Ohtani was more of a curiosity than a sensation. He could knock. He couldn’t throw, as his elbow had recently been rebuilt. He carried with him the hopes and hearts of his homeland, and that embrace had not weakened.

With a glance out of the team bus window, the Angels rookie first baseman understood Ohtani’s magnetism.

“There were four girls sitting outside the bus, sobbing,” Jared Walsh said, “because they knew he was on the bus.”

In that magical summer, Ohtani transcended baseball and became a global pop culture icon. On the Angels’ latest homestand, a Japanese video game company sponsored a gift pillow covered with multiple Ohtani faces and tweeted: “Babe Ruth has never had such a pretty pillow.”

Ohtani is the undisputed big draw of this week’s All-Star, the favorite to win the home run derby on Monday, selected as the designated pitcher and hitter for the All-Star game on Tuesday. He is unmissable and scandal-free, a force so singular that he has eclipsed his teammate widely regarded as the best baseball player.

Walsh saw it coming two years ago, although he wasn’t fully aware of it at the time.

“Mike Trout is a big deal, but I never saw a girl outside the bus sobbing because Mike Trout was on it,” Walsh said. “I think Shohei may have passed him there.”

On TV, Ohtani is the unicorn who can hit a ball 500 feet and throw 100 mph, a Japanese comic book character comes to life. For those who surround Ohtani every day, superhero exploits are cool, but the man behind them is nicer.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him upset before,” Trout said.

“He’s a sweetheart,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said.

“You hear a lot about Trout – he’s a better person than a ball player,” Angels pitching coach Matt Wise said. “I would say that about Sho.”

Billy Eppler, the former general manager and the man most responsible for luring Ohtani to Anaheim, chose the adjective “led” to characterize Ohtani.

On the eve of Ohtani’s first major league start in Oakland, Eppler greeted Ohtani’s parents in the hotel lobby. Eppler had gotten to know them in Japan, over the years of Ohtani’s recognition. He was delighted to see them again. They exchanged pleasantries and Eppler asked where their son could take them to dinner.

Ohtani’s mother didn’t understand why Eppler would ask. It was the night before game day, so of course his son would be spending him watching video of the hitters he was about to face.

“She looked at me like he was about to take his bar or move on his boards,” Eppler said.

That’s not to say that Ohtani isn’t fun. Quite the contrary, say the Angels.

Wise said he liked the memes generated by Ohtani’s facial expressions – some giddy, some bewildered, some questioning.

“He’s always pretty loose and friendly in the clubhouse,” pitcher Dylan Bundy said. “He talks to almost everyone, or tries to do it.”

Pitcher Andrew Heaney said: “It’s not like there’s a weird and awkward language barrier. It is very integrated into the clubhouse and the fabric of the team.

His English is pretty good, or is getting there, although not to the point of conducting an interview in a second language.

“I can definitely say that her English is much more advanced than my Japanese would be if I was there,” said Walsh. “He also became familiar with American slang.

Do you want to share an example? No, Walsh said, laughing.

“He’s giving me a hard time about my golf game,” Maddon said.

Ohtani embarks on clubhouse activities including the pool and Nerf hoops. He was watching the poker games but was hesitant to register.

“We finally told him to come and play,” Trout said.

“The first time he played he made some money,” Heaney said.

To hear the angels say it, Ohtani’s main passion off the pitch is video games.

“Clash of something,” Bundy said. “He does that with David Fletcher all the time. They always play and yell at each other in the clubhouse.

“Clash Royale,” Fletcher said. “He’s definitely the best at this game.”

He’s the best in baseball this year. He amazes fans on a daily basis, but he also amazes his teammates.

In his first at-bat in a game against Baltimore this month, Ohtani was stuck. He arose. Trout offered light coaching and a pep talk, all rolled into one.

“I basically said to him, ‘Look, this is a great approach for you: if they throw a fastball at you inside, you hit a home run to right field. If they throw you in the middle of the speed, you hit a home run down the middle, ”Trout said. “‘If they throw something on the ground, you hit it in our lift pen.'”

I just hit a home run, LOL. What happened in Ohtani’s next two batting appearances?

“He did it twice, fastball inside, next time in the reliever box,” Trout said. “I could not believe it.”

During the first three years of Ohtani’s big-league career, the question of whether he could thrive as a two-way player clouded his humanity. Nez Balelo, his agent, said he was delighted fans could see Ohtani not only for his bat and arm, but also for his playful personality.

“I always knew he was who he was and saw him, but now the world is experiencing it,” Balelo said, “and it’s fun to watch.”

Mark Gubicza, Angels television analyst and former pitcher, pulled a baseball card out of his wallet. He is 58 years old, but his hair still flows freely. The card, prepared somewhat for the show, showed pictures of Gubicza and Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter of Ohtani, with this caption next to Mizuhara’s photo: “Gets his hair cut once a month.

At a presumably slow moment on the show, that would be the question: who has the best hair?

Gubicza met Ohtani and asked for his opinion.

“Who has better hair,” Gubicza asked, “Ippei or me? “

Ohtani thought about it, but not for long.

“Me,” he hammered.

“I was just laughing out loud,” Gubicza said. “He does. Even when I watch him in a game, he doesn’t even sweat. His hair is still perfect every time.

In this year of Shohei Ohtani, of course.