A sports lover could have come across this professional baseball player from Japan. He became famous when his brother Shohei Otani made a name in the same field. Where did this interest in sports come from?
Oftentimes, siblings are compared to each other. But these two have real sportsmanship in all aspects of life. You can’t see the two competing instead, they are proud as one family.
Here are interesting facts about the athlete brothers. You will learn about Ryuta Otani’s background, his sports career, brother Shohei, and his success in his baseball career.
Background
Ryuta Otani belonged to a Japanese family. He was born on March 20, 1988, in Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. His parents are Toru Otani and Kayoko Otani.
His mother was a baseball player. Toru played in the outfield for a corporate-sponsored baseball team. It was a non-professional team.
Ryuta’s mother was a badminton player too. No wonder why Ryuta and Shohei were both athletic too.
Ryuta follows Christianity. He has a great physique which became an integral part of his baseball career. He has other siblings named Shohei Otani and Yuka Otani.
Yuka is the eldest among his siblings. Ryuta comes second. Yuka is the youngest in the family.
Love For Sports
The brothers Ryuta Otani and Shohei Otani started playing baseball at a young age. Their father trained them. Ryuta pursued playing at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan.
Ryuta became a professional baseball player just like his brother. He plays for Toyota Motor East as the left-wing. Ryuta played actively after his first victory at their city’s Tohoku Games.
Ryuta was getting the limelight as his brother Shohei Otani became famous for his abilities as a hitter and a pitcher. He was tagged as the “Japanese Babe Ruth”.
Ryuta’s Brother
In high school, Shohei showed skills as a baseball pitcher. He managed to reach 100 mph at the age of 18. During Summer Koshien – a Japanese national high school baseball tournament, Shohei threw a wonderfully recorded pitch.
In 2018, their parents made a 5000-mile trip to witness Shohei’s MLB debut. Shohei gifted his parents the ball of his first hit. It was the start of “Sho Time”.
Shohei also played Nippon Professional Baseball. He played the roles of an outfielder, pitcher, and designated hitter for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
It’s been five years since becoming a legendary player in NPB history. Shohei attracted the eyes of MLB teams from all over the world.
He recorded splendid numbers in Japan. He hit 48 home runs and drove 166 RBIs with his bat. He also managed a 2.69 ERA and 651 strikeouts in his 92 career pitching appearances.
There is a Japanese version of the World Series called Japan Series. He won the competition and was awarded Best Nine winner. He became the Pacific League MVP.
The Major League Baseball player became the apple of the eye. He earned four wins and a recording of 3.31 ERA. He had 22 home runs and 61 RBIs with the lumber.
