Shohei Ohtani won his major league debut as a pitcher today, only a few days after his Opening Day debut in MLB as a designated hitter. It remains to be seen if he can continue in his duel role with the Angels, one he played so well with the Nippon-Ham Fighters. But after his first few days in a California uniform it seems probable that he may become the first two-way player the majors have seen in quite a while.
Sadaharu Oh (right) knows all too well how difficult such a role can be to pull off. A star on the mound and in the batters box in high school, Oh came to the Giants in 1959 with the potential to dazzle with both arm and bat. However, the Giants, seeing the power in his swing as far superior to his arm, moved him to 1st base and instructed him to focus all of his energy on hitting. Though not an immediate success, he would go on to set the all time home run record and become an international phenomenon.
Coming up next: Takesue!
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