As he grows older, cherishing the final opportunity, Shohei Ohtani gave an exclusive interview: this might be the last time for his two-way playing.

In the special NHK program aired on December 28 titled "NHK Special: MLB Player Shohei Ohtani’s 2025," the Japanese two-way star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani, reflected on his performance this season returning as a two-way player. He admitted that with advancing age, he feels this could be his final chance to handle both pitching and hitting simultaneously.

Shohei Ohtani underwent his second right elbow surgery in September 2023, and during last year’s World Series, he suffered a left shoulder dislocation and labrum tear caused by a stolen base attempt, followed by an arthroscopic repair surgery in November 2024. After a series of recoveries, he finally returned to the mound as a pitcher in the 2025 season, once again fulfilling the role of a two-way player.

Looking back on his pitching and hitting this season, Ohtani said, “I’ve moved from middle age into a more senior phase. If I have to undergo surgery again in the future and spend a year and a half recovering, that’s not really realistic. The feeling of being a two-way player now seems like a last opportunity.”

To revive his two-way performance, Ohtani made significant changes to his pitching mechanics. Before surgery, he used a relatively fixed pitching setup; this season, he changed to pulling his left foot back first to build power before delivering the pitch, fundamentally reconstructing his pitching motion.

Regarding the adjustment in his pitching form, Ohtani explained, “In the past, I focused more on control during games, emphasizing precision. But after the surgery, it will probably take a full year to gradually regain that control.” He has actually noticed an increase in walks and hit-by-pitches, and the statistics confirm this trend.

Therefore, Ohtani changed his approach: “Even if my control is only roughly accurate, I can pitch around 95-96 mph (about 153-154 km/h) with a more relaxed motion. Considering the stress on my elbow, this might actually be better.” To maintain velocity while reducing physical strain, he resolved to alter his pitching mechanism.

The team’s pitching coach also revealed that this adjustment was initiated by Ohtani himself. The coach said, “He wanted to change his pitching motion because he aimed to incorporate more energy and rhythm into his delivery. We fully support this direction. Ohtani is extremely sensitive to subtle bodily movements both in pitching and hitting, and he precisely controls his body by making those movements tangible.”