Shohei Ohtani was born to Kayoko and Toru Ohtani in Mizusawa (now part of Ōshū), Iwate, Japan. His mother was a national-level badminton player in high school, and his father worked at a local automobile manufacturing plant and was an amateur baseball player in the Japanese Industrial League.

Ohtani began playing baseball in his second year of elementary school. Coached by his father, he displayed an aptitude for the game at an early age. As a seventh-grader, Ohtani recorded all but one of 18 outs in a six-inning regional championship game.

Ohtani was the first pick of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the 2012 NPB draft. This marked the beginning of his professional baseball career.

Ohtani played for the Fighters as a pitcher and outfielder. During this period, he won the 2016 Japan Series with the team. His impressive performance led to him being posted to MLB after the 2017 season.

Ohtani made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels on March 29, 2018. He quickly made an impact, winning the 2018 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award.

Ohtani hit 46 home runs and struck out 156 batters, leading to his first AL Most Valuable Player Award. This statistically unprecedented two-way season also earned him the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

Ohtani became the first player in the modern era to qualify for both the hitting and pitching leaderboards in one season, finishing third in the AL with 219 strikeouts.

Ohtani won his second AL MVP Award, leading the AL with 44 home runs while recording 10 wins as a pitcher. He also won the MVP Award at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping Japan secure their third title.

After the 2023 season, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the then-largest contract in professional sports history.

Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He was unanimously named the 2024 National League MVP and won the 2024 World Series with the Dodgers.