Why This Topic Landed in Japan

Ohtani had been sidelined with left knee pain, a right biceps issue, and neck discomfort, and sat out several games in a row. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested he would not rush Ohtani's return to the mound this season — effectively a batting focus for now — and said he had learned that Ohtani's demeanor changes between his good and bad days, becoming relaxed and easygoing when he feels better. The clubs still expect him to pitch again this season, so his pitching return has been put off rather than ended; it spread in Japan as "the two-way is over."

Ohtani is a national icon and coverage of him is intense, so both the "two-way is finished" line and the "true nature" remark travelled fast. Reactions split between those who treat a competitor's frustration as natural and those tired of the way the coverage had built him up.

Key Reaction Themes

  • The two-way's limits versus appreciation for the run — The most common realist take was that "the body can't hold up" and that a batting focus is unavoidable. Against that, others said simply seeing the peak of the two-way for a few years was a historic treasure.
  • Defending the manager's remark — Many said getting frustrated when results don't come is only natural, that a player who won a huge contract is "absolute justice" in baseball terms, and that demanding moral perfection from athletes is misguided.
  • A backlash against the saint treatment, and plain fatigue — Others were cynical — "bad personality," "no excuse when you're paid that much" — or simply worn out, saying everyone got bored of him all at once.

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

Roberts Signals an End to the Two-Way, at Least for Now

Reports suggest the Dodgers will not rush Ohtani's return to the mound this season.

スイープレフト
スイープレフト
@gyahhaon
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【MLB】大谷翔平、二刀流断念へ…ロバーツ監督示唆「それは計算できる」8月下旬から投球中断　8日から打者専念で復帰へ「打線に入ると思う」 - サンスポ sanspo.com/article/202609… @SANSPOCOMより

www.sanspo.com【MLB】大谷翔平、二刀流断念へ…ロバーツ監督示唆「それは計算できる」8月下旬から投球中断　8日から打者専念で復帰へ「打線に入ると思う」ドジャース－ナショナルズ（6日、ロサンゼルス）米大リーグ、ドジャースの大谷翔平投手（32）が今季中の投手復帰を断念する可能性が極めて高くなった。ロバーツ監督が…
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Sources: Sanspo, 2ch

Comments:

  • "Not being able to pitch in the crucial postseason..."
  • "Considering he debuted in 2018, he did well to last this long."
  • "In the end the two-way thing was a failure."
  • "I'd think focusing on pitching would give him a longer career, though."
  • "This is exactly why no one had done it before — the body can't hold up."
  • "The two-way was never realistic to begin with, and his pitching numbers were mediocre anyway."
  • "This season they should just let him concentrate on pitching, if they want to win the World Series."
  • "Better than pushing it and breaking down — he can start again next year. Though his physical peak does seem to have passed."
  • "Focusing on pitching next year is fine."
  • "Does this mean he'll be a DH-only player from now on?"

The Manager's "His Personality Changes" Remark

Roberts says Ohtani's demeanor shifts between his good and bad days.

ニッカンMLB情報
ニッカンMLB情報
@MlbNikkan
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ロバーツ監督「ショウヘイは体調が良い時、悪い時で性格が変わる」大谷翔平の状態を分析 nikkansports.com/baseball/mlb/n…

www.nikkansports.comロバーツ監督「ショウヘイは体調が良い時、悪い時で性格が変わる」大谷翔平の状態を分析 - ＭＬＢ : 日刊スポーツドジャースのデーブ・ロバーツ監督（54）は、大谷翔平投手（32）の現在の状態はかなり回復していると見解を述べた。大谷は左ひざ痛と右上腕二頭筋、首に違和感を抱え… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）
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Sources: Yahoo! news, 2ch

Comments:

  • "So Ohtani has a bad personality, huh 😅"
  • "As long as he's human, mood swings are perfectly possible."
  • "He's basically carrying the team to a title single-handedly, so put up with that much."
  • "Of course. The one who doesn't get grumpy when things are going badly is the weird one."
  • "He's taking 100 billion yen, so 'he's in a slump' is no excuse."
  • "The idea that a great athlete also has to be morally and ethically superior is something only dim-witted fools believe."
  • "Most athletes are like that anyway."
  • "And with all those records in the majors he won a 100-billion (dollar) contract, so in the baseball world that's absolute justice."
  • "It's honestly funny how Japanese people got tired of Shohei Ohtani all at once — faster than they get bored of malatang."
  • "Humans are like that, sure, but for an ordinary person there's pressure to be pushed out, so there's an incentive to hold it in. When a superstar like Ohtani does it and can't be pushed out, immature people see that and get the wrong idea that it's okay to act that way."