Ryuta Otani- Facts About Shohei Ohtani’s brother

Who is Ryuta Otani?

Ryuta Otani is the brother of Shohei Ohtani. Ryuta Otani’s brother Nicknamed “Shotime”, is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. His peak is widely considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some comparing it favorably to the early career of the legendary Babe Ruth.

Ryuta Otani: Bio Summary

How old is Ryuta Otani?

Ryuta Otani was born in 1988 in Oshu, Japan, to Toru Otani, and Kayoko Otani. As of 2024, he is 36 years old. Aside from Shohei, Ryuta also has an elder sister Yuka. Shohei is the youngest of the couple’s three children. Toru Otani told the Japanese publication Mainichi that when Ryuta was young, he was so busy with his job at the car assembly, working day and night shifts, that he didn’t give his eldest son as much attention as he would have liked.

Ryuta adherently follows Christianity as his religion. Ryuta Otani stands at a height of 1.87 meters. He is blessed with a great physique. Although he is older than his brother Shohei, he fell short by 6 meters in height. Shohei Otani stands at a height of 1.93 meters.

Shohei Ohtani’s brother Ryuta is a baseball player and Coach

Ryuta’s father, Toru was a baseball player in his own right, having played in the outfield for a corporate-sponsored non-professional baseball team. Her mother, Kayoko, on the other hand, was a badminton player.

According to PEOPLE, Ryuta plays baseball and coaches for a corporate baseball team. Growing up in high school, his team did not progress as far as he wanted to which left him disappointed. Seeing how upset his eldest son was the doting father became determined to dedicate more time to playing baseball with his youngest child to help Shohei improve his game.

Toru told the Japanese publication Mainichi- “If only I had worked together with him more … I’ve got to give to Shohei what I couldn’t give to his older brother” PEOPLE revealed that Ryuta now plays baseball and coaches for a corporate baseball team.

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Ryuta Otani and Shohei began playing baseball at a young age, and his father trained them in the sport. The baseball player revealed to Nippon, per PEOPLE-“Up until I reached high school, we probably spent more time together on the field than anywhere else, There was no special treatment. In practice and games, I didn’t think of him as my dad. He was first and foremost my coach.”

H knew his relationship with his father wouldn’t guarantee him playing time on the team and just like everyone else he had to earn a spot. Ohtani went on to play baseball at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Northern Japan’s Iwate Prefecture.

In high school, Ryuta’s brother showcased his worth as a baseball pitcher, reaching 100 MPH on the radar gun with his fastball at 18. He threw the recorded pitch at the Summer Koshien, a Japanese national high school baseball tournament.

Toru Otani and Kayoko Otani also made a 5,000-mile trip to watch their son’s MLB debut in 2018. He made it well worth their time because he gifted them the ball of his first hit, which is sure to increase in value as he does the unthinkable in the States.

Ryuta’s brother, Shohei formerly played Nippon Professional Baseball, where he played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as both an outfielder, pitcher, and designated hitter.

He spent five years becoming one of the most legendary players in NPB history and attracting the attention of MLB teams across the globe. The Japanese pitcher recorded impressive numbers in Japan, hitting 48 home runs and driving in 166 RBIs with his bat while also managing a 2.69 ERA and 651 strikeouts across 92 career pitching appearances.

He won the Japan Series, which is Japanese baseball’s version of the World Series. He was a Best Nine award winner, as well as the Pacific League MVP. Ohtani was also a member of the Japanese National Team at the U-18 level.

Since becoming a Major League Baseball player, the spotlight has been on for the two-way star. Ohtani made ten starts during his rookie season, earning four wins and recording a 3.31 ERA. He added 22 home runs and 61 RBIs with the lumber that year.