During a telephone conversation in September, an 80-year-old Japanese friend told me that she was feeling drowsy due to lack of sleep. She¡¯d been rising early, she said, to watch live broadcasts of American baseball.
More specifically, she¡¯d been waking up for Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels who, until the final days of the season, was a contender to lead the American League in home runs. When the 27-year-old Ohtani finished the season in third place with 46 four-baggers, she was clearly disappointed.
¡°He would have hit more, but the opponents keep walking him,¡± she complained. ¡°It¡¯s not fair.¡±
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