Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani on cover of MLB the Show 22

The Show is going Sho Time.

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani will grace the cover of Sony's MLB the Show 22 video game following his historic 2021 season. Ohtani made history in the process, becoming the first Asian athlete to be featured on the cover of a video game in the United States centered around the four major sports.

Ohtani also became the first member of the Angels to be featured on the cover of a baseball video game.

«I was very excited about the possibility and it actually came true,» Ohtani told ESPN through an interpreter. «This game has a lot of history. It's one of the only baseball games that has been out here, so it makes me want to get better on the field and live up to the hype.»

Ohtani's 2021 season was formally recognized as «historically significant» when he received the commissioner's rare Historic Achievement Award this offseason, becoming the first two-way player in MLB history with more than 10 homers, 20 stolen bases while recording 100 strikeouts and more than 10 pitching appearances. Ohtani also earned the MVP award, becoming the first player in league history to be an All-Star as both a pitcher and a hitter, finishing the season hitting .257/.372/.592 with 46 homers, 100 RBIs and 4.9 bWAR as a hitter while tallying a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 156 strikeouts in 130⅓ innings, a 9-2 record and a 4.1 bWAR as a pitcher.

Ohtani, 27, says he hopes that his presence on the cover helps bring fans to the sport.

«There's a few type of fans,» Ohtani said. «I'm sure there are fans that love to play the video game, but don't actually watch the game. Then the opposite, people that watch the game but don't play the video game. I'm trying to bring back the popularity and set an example for those