Shohei Ohtani will grace the cover of Sony's MLB the Show 22 video game.
The Los Angeles Angels star 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.
"I was very excited about the possibility and it actually came true," Ohtani said 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, 27, says he hopes that his presence on the cover helps bring fans to the sport.
"There's a few type of fans," he 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 watching the game. Sony and San Diego Studios, they're going the other route by making a video game trying to get the game popular that way. It's a good combination, trying to bring the popularity back as a whole."