On Nov. 1, the Los Angeles Dodgers achieved a feat that few have accomplished over the course of major league baseball history – winning the World Series twice in a row. This broke a 24-year drought since the last back-to-back winner and marks the third World Series win in the last five years for the Dodgers. Their recent success can be credited in large part to the play of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani.

At the end of the 2023 season, Ohtani became a free agent after spending the last five years of his career playing for the Los Angeles Angels and not making the playoffs. The market for Ohtani among other MLB teams was extremely high due to his unique skill set that puts him in a league of his own compared to other available players. Ohtani is the only player in the MLB who not only bats at a high level, but also pitches – something that no player has done since Babe Ruth in 1935. Ultimately, Ohtani opted to stay in Los Angeles with the Dodgers instead, as he signed a historic 10-year contract worth over $700 million.

While this may seem like a large sum of money for one player, Ohtani’s impact on and off the field has already made this investment worthwhile. Coming from Japan, Ohtani is an international star, drawing fans from around the globe to watch him play. I witnessed this firsthand during my trip to Los Angeles last summer.

One night, my family and I went to a Dodgers game to experience what all the hype was about, and it also happened to be Japanese Heritage Night for all fans in attendance. In his first at-bat, Ohtani hit a blast out to right field that resulted in a towering home run that caused fans to erupt in joy. I asked one Dodgers fan who I was sitting next to what it was like watching Ohtani every night, and they said, “It’s unbelievable how good he is, and I think that the Dodgers will be good for a long time because of him.”

Ohtani’s accolades since joining the Dodgers are nothing short of historic. Over the last two seasons, Ohtani has won back-to-back National League MVP awards unanimously, and he became the first player in MLB history to have a season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. He also contributed to the Dodgers winning back-to-back World Series titles in his two seasons playing for them.

Ohtani serves as an inspiration to student athletes at this school as well. Senior Kai Schmelzer, who is captain of the varsity baseball team, said, “Ohtani inspires me as a baseball player as he encapsulates an entire country and defies the conventional understanding of a baseball player. His ability to succeed both offensively and as a pitcher is no longer commonly seen, which inspires me to work hard to succeed in what I want to do rather than what is considered typical.”

For baseball fans across the world, watching Ohtani isn’t just experiencing greatness – it’s witnessing history in real time. With every new milestone he surpasses, his presence ignites each ballpark he plays in, creating long-lasting memories that will stick with fans for a lifetime. Ohtani is the defining figure of modern-day baseball and a peek into where the game is going next.