New Balance: Shohei Ohtani's first sneakers with New Balance: When & where to buy, design inspiration and everything you need to know

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and American footwear and apparel brand New Balance surprised the masses after announcing a multi-year partnership in 2023. While the company had launched a special collection and logo in the baseball star's name, they have now released a pair of sneakers in honor of the two-way phenom on the eve of his homecoming to Japan.

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The 990v6 sneakers sport a white, green marsh and outerspace color scheme, which is reminiscent of Ohtani's time with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the NPB. Ohtani made his professional debut in baseball with the Ham Fighters in 2013.

The three-time MVP's official running logo is present on the sneaker's footbed. While fans are speculating about the inspiration behind the design of the sneakers, neither Ohtani nor the company has revealed any information regarding the same. Alongside the sneakers, New Balance also released an array of apparel and clothing items to commemorate Ohtani's return to his home country.

The special Shohei Ohtani 990v6 sneakers will be exclusively available in Japan. They will go on sale on March 15. Japanese retailer Atmos's Sendagaya location has announced a special pop-up for Ohtani's signature Tokyo Series collection. The pop-up will run through the course of MLB's Japan leg from March 15 to March 23.

Shohei Ohtani announces his homecoming via social media post

On Thursday, as the Dodgers team made their way to Tokyo, Japan, for the two-game series against the Cubs, reigning World Series champion Shohei Ohtani shared a social media post in which he announced his homecoming with a series of images.

"I'm home," the baseball superstar wrote in Japanese (per Google translate).

Shotime produced an unforgettable season for the Dodgers last year in which he accomplished many milestones and won his maiden Fall Classic title. He became the first entrant to the 50-50 club and was named the NL MVP by a unanimous decision.

The global icon has vowed to defend the 2024 World Series title for the Dodgers in the upcoming season. Ohtani and the Dodgers' title defense begins on Tuesday against their NL Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs. They will play a couple of exhibition games against Japanese clubs, Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers, before opening night.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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Edited by Saishyam Srikanth