Shohei Ohtani (aged 30, Los Angeles Dodgers) delivered a heartwarming message to elementary school students in Japan. However, as if he were mocking his sincerity, the so-called “retailer” has drawn criticism. Japanese media Tokyo Sports introduced the latest incident on Tuesday, saying, “There has been a commotion over reselling gifts Otani has donated to elementary schools across Japan since late last year.”
In November last year, Ohtani announced that he would donate a total of 60,000 gloves, three to each school in Japan, through his social networking service. After attaching an image of “Let’s play baseball!” Ohtani said, “I hope you have a healthy and enjoyable day through baseball. I look forward to the day when I play baseball with the children who use these gloves in the future. I thank the staff for their cooperation.” 실시간 바카라사이트
It was not just the glove that was gifted. According to a report by local Japanese media, the enclosed letter said, “This letter introduces the programs that elementary school students started to get interested in baseball.” It is hoped that the glove will become a symbol of dream and encouragement for the next generation. Baseball is the sport that gives me a chance to live my life faithfully.”
He also wrote, “I hope students can share this glove and enjoy baseball at elementary school. I would appreciate it if you could send this message to the school students. I am grateful to be able to donate my glove this time. I wish your school the best. Let’s play baseball.”
Recently, however, the glove was put up for sale on PayPayPrima, a trading site operated by Yahoo Japan. To be exact, the glove tag has been registered as a part of the sale. It was printed with Ohtani’s signature on it along with the words “Let’s play baseball!” According to media outlets, the glove was attached to the glove that Ohtani gave to elementary school students late last year. The glove is used by children, so I just put up the tag. The product is priced at 100,000 yen, which is 900,000 won (approx. It is not just a glove, but a simple piece of paper that has come at such a high price.
Naturally, it was the subject of criticism in Japan. According to Tokyo Sports, there are comments on social media such as “I thought it would be a used transaction one day, but it’s sad,” and “Please don’t do this kind of business.” As if they couldn’t overcome criticism, the post was immediately deleted. Against this backdrop, Otani Glove will continue to be delivered to children until March. The media said, “Children are voicing joy as gifts arrive one after another this year.”
Ohtani, who signed with the Angels ahead of the 2018 season, appeared in 701 games as a batter for six seasons until last year, posting a batting average of 0.274 (681 hits in 2,483 times at bat), 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, 428 runs scored, 86 steals, 0.366 slugging percentage, 0.556 slugging percentage, and 0.922. As a pitcher, he played as a starter in all 86 games, recording 38 wins and 19 losses with an ERA of 3.01, 608 strikeouts with 173 walks in 481 ⅔ innings, and 1.08 WHIP. He won the Rookie of the Year award in the American League in 2018 and the unanimous MVP award in the league in 2021 and last year.
In the 2023 season as a batter, Ohtani also recorded a batting average of 0.304 in 135 games, 44 homers, 95 RBIs, 102 runs and 20 stolen bases, a slugging percentage of 0.412 with a 0.654 OPS of 1.066, 10 wins and five losses with a 3.14 ERA in 23 games, and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings as a pitcher. War (contributing to victory over replacement players) ranked first in both the fan graph (9.0) and the Baseball Reference (10.0) in the Major League. Despite ending the season early in mid-September, Ohtani showed tremendous performance. He became the home run king of the league, with a gap of two two years ago, while his on-base percentage and slugging percentage also took the lead.
In the latest stove league, Ohtani has become a “special one” in the FA (free agent) market. He almost never missed the top spot in various media’s FA rankings. With numerous teams competing against him, the eventual winner was the Dodgers. Ohtani signed a 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Dodgers in the middle of last month. This is the largest contract in the history of professional sports in North America. The previous record was 450 million dollars for 10 years (593.3 billion won) that the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League awarded to starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2020. The highest amount ever in the Major League was a 12-year extension of 426.5 million dollars that the Los Angeles Angels and Mike Trout signed ahead of the 2019 season, and last year’s nine-year extension of 360 million dollars for Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
What’s more surprising is that Otani actually receives a lot less money during his contract period. He is paid only 2 million dollars out of 70 million dollars a year. He will be paid 680 million dollars, or 97 percent of his contract amount, in the future. According to U.S. local reports, he will receive the remainder of his contract without interest for 10 years from 2034 to 2043. This is the so-called “deferral” contract, in which a club and a player sign an ultra-large-scale contract in the Major League, the club pays part of his annual salary later. The fact that Otani pre-empted this method became all the more controversial.