Shohei Otani of the LA Dodgers is warming up before the start of the special game between Team Korea and the LA Dodgers ahead of the opening game of the MLB Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul on the 18th.
“After Otani came into my life, I felt at peace, like I believed in religion.”
While 'dual sword' Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) visited Korea with a warm welcome, foreign media reported on the enthusiastic support of domestic fans who would have welcomed Ohtani's visit to Korea more than anyone else.
On the 18th (local time), the LA Times focused on the 'virtuous' life of SBS Radio PD Lee Jae-ik, who runs Korea's only Naver Otani fan cafe 'Showtime Korea'.
PD Lee learned of Ohtani's existence through the 2015 Premier 12 Korea-Japan match. PD Lee, who happened to be watching the game, saw Otani with a young face at the time and said, “Baseball is not played with the face. “Good luck,” he recalled thinking.
However, Ohtani, who appeared as a pitcher in this game, struck out 21 Korean batters and allowed only three hits in the 13th inning.
PD Lee, who had no interest in baseball, was surprised by Ohtani's perfect performance, which appeared like a comet that day, and began to pay attention to Ohtani.
Afterwards, Ohtani began to make a name for himself as a pitcher and hitter for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese league, and in 2018, he entered the American Professional Baseball (MLB) and won the American League Rookie of the Year award in his first year. However, despite these achievements, Ohtani suffered through the ups and downs of poor offensive performance for two consecutive seasons and interruption of pitching due to injury. PD Lee predicted that by this time, Ohtani would become “a player who is neither good nor bad.” Then, in 2021, Ohtani, who returned from injury, boasted monstrous results of 46 home runs and 156 strikeouts, winning his first American League MVP award. It was at this time that PD Lee became fascinated by Otani and entered the path of virtue. Producer Lee, who achieved success as a writer in his 20s, joined a radio producer for a stable life, but later recalled that he constantly asked himself, “Why do I always compromise with myself?” Producer Lee, who was so troubled, said that seeing Otani not giving up until the end reminded him of his younger self. PD Lee said, “I was able to accept the fact that I was not born that kind of person and move on with my life,” and added, “I was able to be satisfied just by cheering on Ohtani and the great achievements he achieved.” Since 2021, PD Lee, who claims to be a passionate fan and is truly 'all in' with Otani, has been collecting over 300 items related to Otani, including magazines with Otani on the cover, baseball cards, autographed balls, and uniforms.
In addition, he wears New Balance and Hugo Boss products, for which Ohtani serves as a promotional model, and even changed his vehicle to the Porsche that Ohtani drives. In addition, PD Lee also published a book called ‘Driving a Porsche, Like Otani’, expressing his fanaticism about Otani.
Producer Lee opened the 'Showtime Korea' fan cafe to go beyond his personal fandom and gather people who share his fanaticism for Otani.
When I first created the fan cafe, there was some unfavorable reaction to Otani due to anti-Japanese sentiment. However, negative views were alleviated as Ohtani showed respect for neighboring Asian countries and was evaluated as a player with both skill and character, as he was able to go from two to one.
Thanks to this, the number of Showtime members has increased to over 600, and they have held two meetings to further develop their fan base for Otani.
PD Lee and fan cafe members, who had been waiting at Incheon International Airport since dawn for Ohtani to visit Korea on the 15th, finally welcomed Ohtani around 2:48 PM on the same day after a long wait.
PD Lee said, “After today, Otani will find out about us.” The moment Otani left the airport, PD Lee was sure he made eye contact with his idol. 한국야동