By The Canadian Press on December 9, 2023.
A by-the-numbers look at new L.A. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani: 1: The number of professional baseball championships won (2016 Nippon Professional Baseball title with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) 2: The number of unanimous American League most valuable player awards won. No other player has won multiple MVP awards unanimously. 8: Number of professional all-star berths earned (five in NPB, three in MLB). 17: The number he wore with Hanamaki Higashi High School, inherited from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, and the Los Angeles Angels. 44: The number of home runs he hit last year in becoming the first Japanese-born player to lead a U.S. major league in homers. 219: The number of strikeouts he had in 2022, good for sixth in the majors. $700 million: The record-setting figure of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2023. 10