Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep281: Shohei Ohtani

Transcript

Ep281: Shohei Ohtani · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder open
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  wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts your day.
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  Fun and laughter come your way. Sports and trivia games galore.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we have a super exciting episode about an amazing athlete
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  named Shoei Otani and the story of how baseball became so
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  popular in Japan. If you love sports, fun, facts,
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  and learning about people from around the world, you're in for
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  a treat. Let's get started.
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  First, let's talk about Shoei Otani.
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  He's one of the most famous baseball players playing today,
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  and he is from Japan. Shoei Otani was born in 1994 in
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  a city called Ashu in Japan. He grew up in a sporty family.
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  His dad played baseball and his mom was a badminton player.
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  So you could say Shoei had a lot of energy and talent from the
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  start. He started playing baseball when
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  he was just a little kid and loved it so much that he
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  practiced every single day. Now, most baseball players
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  usually have one main job on the field.
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  Some are pitchers, which means they throw the ball to the
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  batter trying to get them out. Others are batters and their job
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  is to hit the ball and try to score runs.
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  But Shoei Otani is special because he does both.
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  He is what people call a two way player.
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  That means he pitches and he hits at the highest level.
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  This is really rare in professional baseball.
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  Shoei Otani's pitching is super powerful.
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  He can throw a baseball over 100 mph.
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  That's faster than most cars can legally drive on a highway.
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  When he's batting, he's known for hitting home runs.
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  Sometimes the ball flies so far it leaves the baseball stadium.
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  People all over the world come to watch him play because it's
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  amazing to see someone be so good at both pitching and
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  hitting. Did you know that show A Otani
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  joined a professional baseball team in Japan called the
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  Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters when he was just 18 years old.
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  He quickly became a star in Japan and then decided to take
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  on a new challenge playing in Major League Baseball in the
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  United States. In 2018, he joined the Los
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  Angeles Angels. Since then, he's won awards,
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  broken records, and even been named the Most Valuable Player
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  or MVP of the American League. Here's a fun trivia question for
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  you. Which hand does Show a Otani
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  used to throw the baseball? Take a moment to guess.
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  The answer is Show a Otani throws with his right hand.
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  Let's talk about why Show A Otani is such a big deal in the
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  baseball world. Being a two way player means he
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  has to practice twice as much, once for pitching and once for
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  hitting. Most players focus on just one,
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  so people are really impressed by how hard Show A works.
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  He spends hours every day practicing and getting stronger.
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  He's not just talented, he's also very dedicated and
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  determined. Now let's take a look at how
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  baseball became popular in Japan.
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  Believe it or not, baseball didn't start in Japan.
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  It actually began in the United States in the 1800s.
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  But in 1872, an American teacher named Horace Wilson brought
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  baseball to Japan. He taught it to his students in
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  Tokyo, and they loved it. Soon, more schools started
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  playing and the sport began to grow.
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  By the early 1900s, baseball was everywhere in Japan.
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  Schools and colleges formed teams and held tournaments.
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  In 1936, Japan started its first professional Baseball League.
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  That was a big moment. The league is now known as
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  Nippon Professional Baseball, or NPB, and it has teams all over
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  the country. Japanese baseball games are full
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  of energy. Fans bring drums, horns, and
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  even balloons to the stadiums. They sing songs and cheer for
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  their favorite players. If you went to a Japanese
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  baseball game, you'd see people wearing team jerseys, waving
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  flags and eating snacks like ramen noodles or fried chicken.
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  Here's a yes or no question for you.
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  Do you think Japanese baseball teams play with the same rules
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  as American baseball teams? The answer is mostly yes.
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  The rules are almost the same, but there are a few small
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  differences like the size of the baseball and the length of the
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  season. Baseball is now one of the most
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  popular sports in Japan. Every summer there's a high
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  school baseball tournament called Koshian.
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  It's so famous that kids all over Japan dream of playing in
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  it. Some of the best players in
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  Japan have played at Koshian before joining professional
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  teams, just like Shoei Otani. Another fun fact, Japanese
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  professional baseball teams have really cool names like the
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  Hanson Tigers, Yumiuri Giants, and Hiroshima Carp.
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  The teams often have mascots, funny costumed characters that
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  dance and entertain the crowd during games.
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  Let's try another trivia question.
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  Can you guess which year the first official professional
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  baseball game was played in Japan?
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  The answer is the first official pro game was played in 1936.
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  Japanese players have become famous all over the world.
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  Before Shoei Otani, other Japanese players also went to
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  play in America, like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.
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  They showed that Japanese players could compete at the
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  highest level. Today, lots of young baseball
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  players in Japan and even in other countries look up to Shoei
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  Otani as a hero. He inspires them to work hard
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  and believe in themselves. Let's see if you can guess
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  another fun fact. Yes or no question Has Show A
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  Otani ever won a Home Run Derby contest in Major League
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  Baseball? The answer is not yet.
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  He has appeared in the contest, but he hasn't won one so far.
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  Baseball in Japan isn't just about the pros.
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  Kids play baseball in parks, at school and in little leagues all
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  over the country. They learn teamwork, practice
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  their skills and have fun with their friends.
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  In some neighborhoods, there are even community teams where
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  parents help coach and organize games.
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  Did you know that Japanese baseball players often bow to
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  each other and to the fans before and after games?
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  Bowing is a sign of respect in Japan.
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  It's a way to show good sportsmanship, thank the fans
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  and honor the game. Now here's a trivia question you
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  might enjoy. What is the nickname for
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  Japanese professional baseball? The answer is it's often called
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  yaku, which means field ball in Japanese.
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  Shoei Otani's success has brought even more attention to
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  baseball in Japan. When he plays, millions of
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  people in Japan stay up late or wake up early to watch his
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  games. Even though the time difference
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  between Japan and the United States is huge.
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  News about show as games and home runs is on TV, in
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  newspapers and online every day. Let's try another yes or no
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  question. Do Japanese baseball teams ever
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  play against American baseball teams?
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  The answer is yes. They sometimes play special
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  games called exhibition games, and there are even international
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  tournaments where teams from both countries compete.
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  Showa Otani is also known for his kindness and good manners.
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  He often thinks his teammates and coaches and is friendly with
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  fans. He speaks both Japanese and
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  English and sometimes uses a translator to help with
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  interviews. This helps him share his
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  thoughts with people all over the world.
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  Before we finish, here's one last trivia question.
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  Showa Otani wears a special number on his jersey.
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  Can you guess what number it is? The answer is Shoei Otani wears
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  #17 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Let's do a quick recap of what
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  we learned today. Shoei Otani is a superstar
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  baseball player from Japan who is famous for being both the
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  pitcher and a hitter. He works very hard and inspires
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  people all around the world. Baseball came to Japan over 150
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  years ago and has become one of the country's favorite sports.
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  Japanese baseball is full of excitement, traditions, and fun.
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  Fans, kids and adults in Japan love to play and watch baseball,
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  and many dream of being just like Shoei Otani.
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  Thanks for joining us on Kid Cast Daily.
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  We hope you had fun learning about Shoei Otani and the
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  amazing story of baseball in Japan.
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  Remember, no matter where you're from or what you love to do,
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  hard work, teamwork, and respect can help you achieve great
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  things. TuneIn next time for more news,
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  trivia and fun facts just for curious kids like you, grab.
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  Your breakfast feeling fine, adventures waiting?
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  Don't be late. Today's the day we celebrate.
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