Shohei Ohtani Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 2013 BBM Rookie Edition Silver Foil Facsimile Rookie #077/100 #42 PSA 10 | Rookie Card | MBA Gold Diamond

From a young age, Shohei Ohtani seemed destined for a career in sports. The genetics were there. His mother was a prolific badminton player in high school, and his father played amateur baseball in Japan's Industrial League. Growing up, Ohtani was known as a “yakyu shonen,” essentially a kid who lives, eats, and breathes baseball. After a stellar high school career, which saw Ohtani break the record for fastest pitch in Japanese high school baseball history, he was ready to go pro. 

Ohtani had dreamed about being on a major league team as a youth saying, “I want to play over there as early as possible. I will learn the hard way. I understand the risks. It’s not about the money. It’s about following my dream.” There certainly was mutual interest from MLB teams: who wouldn't want an 18 year-old flamethrower on their team? Despite his interest in going stateside, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters still selected him in the first round of the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball Draft. In a turn of events, Ohtani decided to flip his decision and stay in Japan. The decision to sign with Hokkaido afforded him the opportunity to serve as both a pitcher and position player, something that MLB teams were hesitant to commit to. 

Ohtani would make his Nippon Professional Baseball debut on March 29, 2013 at the ripe age of 18. That same season, he was named to the All-Star team, appearing in 77 games as a position player, primarily in right field and also in 13 games as a pitcher. He finished the season with a batting average of .238, 3 home runs, 20 runs batted in and a 3-0 record on the mound. One might think those numbers are a bit modest, however when you factor in the fact that the average player in the NPB was 10 years older than Ohtani, they show a star with incredible potential. 

The 2014 season saw Ohtani turn it up a notch as he was again named to the All-Star team. He hit his way to a .274 batting average, 10 home runs and 31 runs batted in. On the mound he dazzled to the tune of an 11-4 record with a 2.61 earned run average and 179 strikeouts, good for third most in the entire league. Ohtani’s 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings led the league. 

In the 2015 season, Ohtani continued to excel on the mound as he was named the starting pitcher for the Pacific League in the All-Star Series. Ohtani finished his third year of professional baseball with a 15-5 record, a league leading 2.24 earned run average, and 196 strikeouts. By season's end he was named to the Best Nine as the Pacific League’s top pitcher while also finishing third in MVP voting. 

By 2016 Ohtani put it all together as both a hitter and pitcher. At the plate he hit .322 with 22 home runs and 67 runs batted in, both career highs. On the mound he carried over the success from his 2015 campaign, ending the year with a 10-4 record, 1.86 earned run average, and 174 strikeouts. For the first time in his career he was named the Pacific League MVP. That same year he was awarded the Best Nine Award as both a designated hitter and pitcher, the first player to accomplish such a feat. Ohtani helped lead the team to the 2016 Japan Series title, their second Japan Series title in team history. 

Ohtani’s 2017 injury shortened campaign would be his last in Japan. A career highlighted by dominance at the plate and on the mound, Ohtani was ready to take his talents stateside. On December 8, 2017, it was announced that Shohei Ohtani would be signing with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani picked the Angels over a number of teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo on why Ohtani picked the Angels: "Shohei is humbled and flattered by all the time and effort that so many teams put into their presentations and sincerely thanks them for their professionalism. In the end, he felt a strong connection with the Angels and believes they can best help him reach his goals in Major League Baseball." 

Ohtani would spend five seasons with the Angels before heading to the other side of town and signing a record breaking deal with the Dodgers, where he became the first MLB player to ever record 50 home runs and 50 steals in a single season. At the time of cataloging, Ohtani is the betting odds favorite to win the 2025 National League MVP award.It is likely that he will finish his career in Dodger blue. 

BBM began producing baseball cards in 1991 and has since released a variety of sets featuring mostly modern-day Japanese baseball players. Many of these cards include both English and Japanese text, reflecting BBM’s effort to appeal to a global audience. In 2013, BBM released the Rookie Edition set, which focuses primarily on players drafted in the 2012 NPB Draft. Shohei Ohtani appears on two cards in the main set, one showcasing him as a pitcher, the other as a batter. This batting example, the Silver Foil variation, features a facsimile signature in both Kanji and a mixture of shorthand Kanji and Hiragana, finished in silver foil and is limited to just 100 copies.

This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Gem Mint condition, receiving a grade of 10 from Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA). It is among the highest condition copies of the card ever certified. At the time of cataloging, it stands as one of only 11 examples to receive a PSA 10. 

In addition to its PSA 10 designation, the card offers another attestation to its impeccable quality: the MBA Gold Diamond. Reserved for only the top 5% of quality within an assigned grade, the MBA Gold Diamond highlights cards that are worthy of technical grade increases of 0.5 or more in the opinion of MBA. At the time of cataloging, this is the sole example to receive the prestigious MBA Gold Diamond certification. The "077/100" stamp on the card signifies its place in the limited print run.

The PSA certificate number for this card is: 44380206

This card has also been assessed by Mike Baker Authenticated (MBA) and been awarded with an MBA Gold Diamond. The card is searchable on the MBA website under the PSA certificate number.

Going Deeper - Shohei Ohtani

Facing Trout

Already a widely known celebrity in Japan, Shohei Ohtani became a full-blown national treasure through the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

While his MVP-level exploits at the plate and on the mound in MLB had established his reputation on the field, he had relatively little to show in terms of major team hardware outside Japan’s top league, NPB. In the lead up to the 2023 WBC, likely the most-hyped international baseball tournament ever, it was clear that Ohtani would be in the center of spotlight. Of course, he lived up to the billing.

At the plate, Shohei stood atop the tournament in hits, runs, and walks while also turning around and leading all pitchers in innings pitched, carrying a razor thin 1.86 ERA over 9.2 innings. Alongside current and soon-to-be MLB stars such as Yu Darvish, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, Samurai Japan mowed down their group winning all four games by a combined margin of 38-8. After defeating Italy and Mexico in the first two rounds of the knockout stage, including Ohtani scoring the tying run on a come-from-behind walk-off double in the semis, a date with destiny was set with a championship matchup against the Americans.

A titanic duel, the title bout lived up to the billing as both teams took their shots. Each side mustered a pair of solo home runs while the headliners, Ohtani and then-Angels teammate and future inner circle Hall of Famer Mike Trout, contributed with hits of their own. Entering the 9th inning, the game was still up for grabs as Team USA came to the plate for the final time.

Heading into the game, despite Ohtani being listed as a DH, the plan always was that any save situation would result in the ball being handed to Shohei. What wasn’t in the plan however, was for Trout to be due up third. Despite walking the first batter he faced, Ohtani locked in and quickly got a double play ball from Mookie Betts setting up one of the most dramatic plate appearances in baseball history.

As Trout strode in the box and Ohtani circled the mound, the exuberant crowd in Miami rose to their feet. Despite never facing off before in a game, fans and broadcasters knew that they were witnessing an all-time moment. It was, as simply as announcer Joe Davis put it, “the best against the best.”

After Trout took the first pitch, a low slider, for ball one Ohtani adjusted his approach and began to attack. In four consecutive pitches, Ohtani hit 100 miles per hour on his fastball topping out at a blazing 102 and coaxing two dramatic whiffs from one of the greatest hitters of all time. With the count full, and Trout reeling, Ohtani pulled the string on an immaculate sweeper that broke just beyond the bat. Tossing his glove and hat into the crowd in triumph, Ohtani was mobbed by his euphoric Japanese teammates while the stunned American team looked on from the bench. 

Fittingly, for someone who had already ensured a considerable measure of sporting immortality, he did this all in what might be the most watched baseball game in history.