Baseball: U.S. hall of fame chief elated at World Series with Ohtani

The president of the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has said he cannot wait to see Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani against the star-studded New York Yankees in the upcoming World Series.

Josh Rawitch also told Kyodo News in a recent interview that the two-way player from Japan could be inducted into the Hall of Fame someday if he continues to log achievements as remarkable as those he has recorded since joining Major League Baseball seven years ago.

“It’s a wonderful thing” that fans around the world, including those in Japan, are going to be watching Ohtani and other star players in two major teams in the country’s professional baseball “on such a huge stage,” he said.

Ohtani, a two-time American League MVP as a two-way Los Angeles Angels player, clinched the National League home run and RBI titles this year in his first season as a Dodger.

“What he has done this year is hard for anybody to really, I think, imagine,” said Rawitch, who used to work for the California-based club as a staffer and helped Japanese players such as Hideo Nomo.

The president said Ohtani has had “an incredible first seven years” since he joined the Angels in the 2018 season.

Combined photo taken on Sept. 19, 2024, and June 8, 2024, respectively, shows National League 2024 home run king Shohei Ohtani (L) of the Los Angeles Dodgers and American League 2024 home run king Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. The two sluggers will take the field in the best-of-seven Major League Baseball World Series starting on Oct. 25. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

“If he keeps doing what he’s doing, I’d say he’s gonna have a pretty good shot at someday, maybe being here in Cooperstown,” Rawitch said, referring to the city in New York state where the hall and the museum are located.

Rawitch said Ohtani donated many goods to the museum, such as his shoes, jersey, bat and even an elbow guard.

This year, Ohtani became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season.

“We hope that something will come from 50-50,” he said. “I really think there’s no way to overstate the impact that Japanese players have had on baseball here.”

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