Sports / Documentaries
The channel continues to reach Latin America with top quality content and stories about Japan. This time it brings to the delight of its audience, this captivating documentary about the baseball sensation, who has overcome adversity to reach the top of the Major Leagues.
The program will air through NHK’s VOD service with Spanish subtitles, so that audiences can enjoy this inspiring story.
NHK WORLD-JAPAN, the 24-hour English-language international signal of Japanese public broadcaster NHK, announced the presentation of its original production SHOHEI OHTANI: A Baseball Virtuoso. The program can be seen through NHK’s VOD service subtitled in Spanish, so that Latin American audiences can enjoy the captivating and inspiring documentary.
In an exclusive interview with NHK in 2013, Shohei Ohtani said, “I want to do something that no one has ever done.” So, it was. In 2021 Ohtani became the first pitcher in a century to match the legendary Babe Ruth for the most home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite his repeated injuries, the young player has risen to the pinnacle of the sport in Japan and internationally.
Audiences will learn a detailed profile of this once-in-a-generation phenomenon, from his early start in baseball, the rigor of his training in Japan, to his success in the United States. The documentary contains exclusive material and unique interviews and explores the influence of Ohtani’s father on his sports career. Also, it narrates the challenges that the player faced in his first three years in the ‘Big Leagues’, and how he overcame injuries and obstacles, to become a baseball star with broad prospects of being a renowned figure in the history of this sport.
The young player attracted the interest of the Major Leagues in 2017, signing with the Los Angeles Angels team. Introducing the new Japanese member to American fans that year, then team coach Mike Scioscia remarked, “His ability, both on the mound and in the batter’s box – is something that has really never been seen before.”
In his first season, Ohtani racked up 22 home runs and was named Rookie of the Year in his league, but he quickly suffered a series of injuries. In what was a spectacular comeback, he recovered from elbow and knee surgeries to become the first player in 88 years to start an All-Star Game as a starting pitcher and hitter, winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. for its acronym in English) of the American League in 2021.
KEY DATA
NHK WORLD-JAPAN viewers can enjoy a variety of genres such as: art and design, culture and lifestyle, sports, food, travel, pop culture and fashion, entertainment, science, and nature. The channel reaches 380 million homes distributed in more than 160 countries and territories through various satellite and cable television providers, with transmissions 24 hours a day.