Why This Topic Landed in Japan

Shohei Ohtani is a national fixation, and Japanese "overseas reaction" blogs that translate Reddit game threads turn every start into a daily event. This round centered on a six-inning, scoreless outing that pushed his ERA to a barely believable 0.74 while his bat sat at a .301 average, with one widely shared figure putting his MVP odds at 81%. For many readers the appeal was less the baseball itself than watching even rival Diamondbacks fans and Korean netizens react with a mix of disbelief, exhaustion, and grudging worship.

Key Reaction Themes

  • Beyond awe, into laughter — Many commenters said the numbers had stopped being impressive and become funny, fixating on the detail that Ohtani reached base more times than the entire opposing lineup did.
  • Sympathy for the opponent — A recurring note was pity for the Diamondbacks, with fans joking that against Ohtani they couldn't even muster the usual intimidation or retaliation.
  • MVP is a WAR conversation, not a home-run count — A statistically literate strand pushed back on the idea that his lower home-run total this season dents his case, pointing to WAR and noting Trout won MVPs without ever leading the league in homers or average.

Sources:

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

Six scoreless innings drop his ERA to 0.74

Reacting to a translated Reddit thread from the Diamondbacks game, Japanese readers marveled that Ohtani out-reached the entire opposing lineup.

Comments:

  • "The stubborn Diamondbacks lineup was back today (blank stare). Once again, holding them to three baserunners — Ohtani is insane."
  • "Even crazier, the man himself reached base more times than the whole Diamondbacks lineup did, lol."
  • "Normally a string of brushback pitches gets a batter intimidated or even sparks a brawl, but against Ohtani the Diamondbacks couldn't even do that. Poor guys, ha."
  • "The Dodgers ran an Ohtani feature set to the 'Apocalypse Now' theme — I lost it."
  • "They showed that 'the ball Ohtani hit in the Diamondbacks game' is for sale: $2,000 for a single, $15,000 for a triple, apparently, lol."
  • "Tanasco's pitch wasn't bad, honestly. The bigger problem today was the top of our order not hitting."
  • "The only thing I'm worried about now is the blister on his hand."

MVP and Cy Young odds put him in a class of his own

Watching Korean fans debate the betting odds, Japanese readers argued the award comes down to WAR, not headline counting stats.

Comments:

  • "He's the MVP favorite at a level where he effectively has no competition."
  • "Strikeout rate: Ohtani 11.26, Darvish 10.50, Yamamoto 10.14, Nomo 8.74. Japanese pitchers really are excellent."
  • "People saying 'few homers this year, so he's slumping, so no MVP' are clueless. Trout won three MVPs without ever taking a home-run or batting title. Average is just one slice of on-base percentage."
  • "Unless there's a record-breaking, headline-grabbing number, it basically comes down to WAR."