Shohei Ohtani’s new children’s book inspired by daughter and dog

TO WATCH SHOHE OTANI IS TO WITNESS A ONCE-IN A-CENTURY FORCE, A $700 MILLION ARM. AND A SWING THAT HAS BECOME THE STUFF OF LEGEND. HE'S THE FACE OF THE SPORT, A DOUBLE THREAT, KNOCKING 55 HOME RUNS AND PITCHING A SUB-3 ERA IN 2025, A FEAT. THAT FELT LIKE SCIENCE FICTION. UNTIL HE MADE IT A REALITY. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WIN BACK TO BACK WORLD SERIES TITLES? THE SECOND YEAR. WAS, IT WAS A LOT HARDER,

YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, UH, A LOT MORE PRESSURE THAT WAS PUT ON THE TEAM. IT WAS. VERY, VERY SPECIAL YEAR. FOR THE FOUR-TIME MVP, THE CONVERSATION HAS NOW TURNED TO SOMETHING RARELY WHISPERED IN BASEBALL, A THREE-PEAT. FOR. AMERICANS OUT THERE, WHEN WE TALK THREE-PEAT, WE THINK OF THE GREATS. IN OTHER SPORTS, PEOPLE LIKE MICHAEL JORDAN AND. TOM BRADY AND, AND ALL, ALL THE CHAMPIONSHIPS HE WON. YOU'RE GOING TO BE TALKED ABOUT IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS WELL. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT A THREE-PEAT?

I DON'T THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. HOWEVER, I DO HOPE. THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I RETIRE AND I LOOK BACK AND. I CAN BE ABLE TO SAY THAT, HEY, I WAS ON THAT TEAM THAT WON 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW, THAT WOULD BE VERY COOL. BUT WITH THAT SUCCESS COMES SCRUTINY. TO GET THERE, THE DODGERS HAVE A PAYROLL THAT HAS REDEFINED THE SPORTS ECONOMY, ALLOWING THEM. TO SCOOP UP THE BEST TALENT IN THE GAME. DO YOU THINK THAT'S GOOD FOR THE GAME? YEAH, I THINK WITH WHAT THE OWNERSHIP. GROUP HAS DONE HAS BEEN IS, IS GREAT, YOU KNOW,

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE FANS. PAY MONEY TO, THEY BUY TICKETS AND THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY COME TO THE GAME. SO I THINK THAT MONEY IS BEING, YOU KNOW, BEING USED BACK TO SIGN THESE, THESE GREAT PLAYERS AND PUT UP, PUT OUT A. WINNING PRODUCT ON THE FIELD. FOR OTANI, THE FUTURE NOW INCLUDES A NEW ADDITION AT HOME, A BABY GIRL BORN LAST APRIL. ALSO BY HIS SIDE, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'S MOST VALUABLE PUP, DECOY. SO YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN JAPAN, I HAD A, A, A DOG MYSELF.

I WANTED A DOG. FOR MYSELF OVER HERE. I KIND OF MET DECOY AND WE HIT IT OFF. A CELEBRITY IN HIS OWN RIGHT, DECOY IS NOW THE SUBJECT OF OTANI'S NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK. SO SHOHEI, WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK? YEAH, I THINK THE INITIAL. IDEA WAS BASICALLY I HAD MY DAUGHTER. COMING. SOON, SO TIMING WISE I FELT IT WAS A IT WAS A. NICE TIME TO MAYBE. BE ABLE TO READ HER A BOOK ABOUT. MY STORY AS WELL AS OUR DOG DECOY STORY. BUT WITH A BOOK DEAL AND MILLIONS OF FANS,

OTANI'S SIDEKICK MIGHT BE STEALING A BIT OF THE SPOTLIGHT. DOES HE NEED A SUPER AGENT TO REPRESENT HIM? DON'T. YEAH, YOU KNOW, UH, ALL OF THE PROCEEDS FOR THESE BOOKS ARE, ARE, ARE GONNA GO TO ANIMAL SHELTERS. WE'RE GONNA. OBVIOUSLY DONATE ALL OF THE PROCEEDS, BUT NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE NEGOTIATED JUST A LITTLE BIT OF. AMOUNT TO GET DECOY SOME GOOD FOOD, YOU KNOW, WE'LL DO THAT NEXT TIME. OUR THANKS TO SHOHEI. THE BOOK IS OUT NOW, AND WE CAN'T WAIT FOR BASEBALL TO START.