"I was never thinking about doing both" - When Shohei Ohtani was caught off guard by NPB team's decision to explore his two-way ability

Shohei Ohtani's record-shattering contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers added weight to the argument that he is one of the greatest baseball players of the time. The two-time MVP's stats had already made a case for his greatness but the mega deal ushered him into a league of his own.

Ohtani's two-way ability and the consistency and discipline of his pitching and hitting bestowed him with the title of baseball's unicorn. He is arguably the first player since the legendary Babe Ruth to dominate both aspects of the game. However, things could have been very different for the former Los Angeles Angels slugger.

The three-time All-Star was already a superstar in Japan before his move to the MLB, thanks to his incredible performances in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). However, he expressed his desire to play for the biggest MLB teams publically when he was just 18 years old.

Despite his request for the Japanese teams to not draft him because of his desire to play in the MLB, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters did just that in 2012. In an interview with 'This goes beyond baseball' and '60 Minutes' in 2017, Ohtani revealed that the Nippon-Ham Fighters were the first team to explore his two-way abilities, which became a game-changer.

"Every other team apart from the fighters were looking at me as a pitcher," Ohtani said. "But the fighters were going to allow me to do both pitching and hitting. Honestly I was never thinking about doing both on a professional level. But they approached me and I wanted to take the chance."

Shohei Ohtani's elbow surgery starts speculation around his two-way ability

While there is no doubt about the Japanese superstar's two-way credentials, a second elbow surgery in September last year since his move to the States has raised question marks about his pitching.

He will be reportedly performing the role of a DH for the Dodgers in the 2024 season given his recent surgery and is likely to consider his imminent pitching future next year.