Photo/Illutration Los Angeles Angels baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani speaks at a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Nov. 15. (Ryo Kato)

Two-way Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani made it look easy both on the mound and at the plate in rewriting the record books in 2021.

But Ohtani, 27, who held a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Nov. 15 to look back on the season, admitted that even he struggled at times.

"It was rather difficult for my team to win. The latter half of the season was one of the toughest times mentally since I came to the major leagues,” he said. “But it was a great year, including the times when I felt down.” 

Despite Ohtani's all-out effort, his team, the Los Angeles Angels, failed to make the playoffs.

In his fourth year in the league, Ohtani slugged 46 home runs, third best in the majors, as a hitter. He won nine games on the mound as a pitcher, tops on his team.

In July, he became the first player in history to start an All-Star Game as both a pitcher and a hitter, along with competing in the Home Run Derby. 

“I was glad that I was able to compete well with other top players in terms of power and physicality,” Ohtani said. “I realized that I could do such a thing.” 

With his memorable season comes a well-deserved off-season of accolades.

Ohtani has already been awarded the Players Choice Awards Player of the Year, selected by his peers, and the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award. 

Next up is the prestigious American League Most Valuable Player award, voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, to be announced on Nov. 18 local time. 

Ohtani is one of the three finalists and clear favorite among American League candidates to add the MVP trophy to his bulging trophy case. 

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