Shohei Ohtani talks about his career nearing its peak, sweetly calling his daughter his source of energy.

In a recent interview with Japanese media, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani discussed how his career is approaching its pinnacle. He also shared that his daughter is his source of energy and, at the end of the interview, asked the reporters to let him go home quickly because he wanted to take his daughter to play in the water.

The latest cover of the Japanese sports magazine "Sports Graphic Number" features Ohtani, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB).

The magazine's official website, "Number Web," published Ohtani's interview on the 13th, mentioning that he has returned to being a two-way player this season. In addition to adjusting his pitching stance, he also threw a fastball clocked at 163.7 km/h in June, setting a personal record for the fastest pitch in MLB. Reflecting on the first half of the season, Ohtani's home run count ranks among the top in the league, showcasing his strong performance in both hitting and pitching.

In the interview, Ohtani mentioned that after coming to MLB, he felt the pressure to prove himself as a two-way player. With his current performance being widely recognized, he was asked what he still needs to "fight" for. Ohtani responded, “If I were to compare it to climbing a mountain, I think I am close to the summit now, and I need to think about how to descend. Perhaps that’s what I’m currently battling with.”

He continued, saying, “I’m over 30 now, and I’m also thinking about how to ‘disperse.’”

Ohtani explained, “I think it’s necessary to consider how to ‘disperse’ in the end, which is different from the earlier part of my twenties. When I was younger, I would only look forward to how I would develop, just anticipating what peaks I would reach, but (now) that part is different.”

When asked whether he should look forward to reaching that peak moment, he replied, “I certainly don’t think I’m at my peak yet, and I’m still wondering what the highest point really is... Perhaps it’s only in retrospect that I’ll think, ‘That moment was the peak.’”

When asked why he described the post-peak phase as “dispersing” instead of “descending,” Ohtani laughed and said, “I don’t know. I think there’s a gradual descent, but it could also end suddenly at some point.”

At the end of the interview, Ohtani mentioned that his current “small happiness” in life is: “Right now, at this moment, I want to go home later today to take my daughter to the swimming pool; going home is my happiness.”

Ohtani then laughed and said, “So let me go back early.”