SBS PD Who Invested in Otani and Made 10x Profit Also Authored a Book on Otani

Interview with Lee Jae-ik PD, a passionate fan of Shohei Ohtani
Operating the only Ohtani fan cafe on Naver in Korea

"I want to see Otani's rare record-breaking performance in human history with my own eyes, document it, and share it with others. This is actually what historians do, and I feel a bit of a sense of mission." Lee Jae-ik, a passionate fan of Shohei Otani of the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB), said this in an interview with Asia Economy ahead of the '2024 MLB World Tour Seoul Series.'

Producer Lee Jae-ik runs the only Naver Otani fan cafe in Korea, 'Showtime Korea.' As of the 15th, the fan cafe, established in October 2022, has 529 members. The number has increased by about 200 this year. Lee said, "The number of cafe members keeps growing," adding, "I expect it to exceed 600 when the Seoul Series games take place." The MLB Seoul Series will be held between the LA Dodgers and the San Diego Padres on the 20th and 21st at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul.

The Padres have Korean players Kim Ha-seong and Ko Woo-seok. Lee said that although he will be physically in the Dodgers' cheering section, he plans to cheer for Kim Ha-seong and Ko Woo-seok just as much as for Otani. However, he added, "If they face each other, I will probably end up cheering for Otani." As Lee Jae-ik said, Otani is rewriting baseball history. He has boldly accomplished the impossible two-way player role that all baseball experts, including Japanese professional baseball legend Jang Hun, considered unattainable, and is now regarded as one of the greatest baseball players in history.

Otani entered MLB in 2018 and won the American League Rookie of the Year in his first year. Since then, he has truly bombarded the baseball homeland, the United States. He was named the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, in 2021 and last year. He became the first player in MLB history to achieve unanimous MVP votes twice.

Lee Jae-ik said that Otani's journey was not only filled with glory but also with injuries and slumps. "He had very difficult seasons in 2019 and 2022 due to injuries and slumps when he should have been at his peak. Overcoming such adversity itself is remarkable."

PD Lee Jae-ik

Lee also expressed respect for Otani’s great patriotism as well as his attitude of respecting neighboring Asian countries such as Korea and China. The Japanese national baseball team won the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which can be called the baseball World Cup, last year with a perfect 7-0 record, marking their third championship. Otani played brilliantly both as a pitcher and hitter and was named the tournament MVP.

"Otani sincerely commits to Samurai Japan, the Japanese national team. He truly loves his homeland, Japan, and works extremely hard on the team. While showing such patriotism, he never forgets to respect countries in Asia like Korea and China. In his MVP acceptance interview, he specifically mentioned Korea, saying Korean baseball is really excellent and that he believes Korea can win the WBC anytime. When he came to Korea this time, he even posted a photo of the Korean flag on his Instagram to show respect for Korea. Seeing this kind of behavior gives me chills."

Otani underwent elbow surgery in September last year. Therefore, this year he plans to give up pitching, which strains the elbow, and play only as a hitter. Lee said he feels more anticipation about what kind of performance Otani will deliver focusing solely on hitting rather than regret about not seeing him on the mound.

"There was a season in 2019 when he focused only on hitting, but back then his skills were not as good as they are now. This is practically Otani’s first season focusing solely on hitting, so I’m curious about what kind of results he will produce. Since he had surgery last September, this year is a rehab season, and hitters who have had elbow surgery usually don’t get their timing right early in the season, so I’m a bit worried. But since he’s focusing only on hitting, I expect his performance to be good. It would be great if he becomes the home run king in the National League this year as well." Otani was the American League home run king last year with 44 home runs. Lee predicted Otani’s home run count this year to be around 48 to 49.

Lee Jae-ik, an SBS radio producer who directed shows like 'Cultwo Show' and 'Cinetown,' has also hosted programs such as 'Current Affairs Special Forces' and 'SBS Political Show.' He is skilled in various writing formats. While attending university in 1997, he debuted as a novelist by winning the Korean Long Novel Award from the monthly magazine 'Literary Thought.' He also participated in screenplay work for films such as 'Jilju (1999),' 'Mokpo is a Harbor (2004),' and 'Wonderful Radio (2012).'

Last November, he published a book titled Driving a Porsche, Like Otani (Dodo Books), expressing his fandom for Otani. After learning that Otani drives a Porsche, he sold other assets to change his car to the same model as Otani’s. He also revealed that he has collected about 300 to 400 Otani-related items, including magazines featuring Otani on the cover, baseball cards, baseballs, and uniforms. MLB baseball cards are actively traded. Babe Ruth’s 1914 baseball card made headlines last December when it was sold at auction for $7.2 million. Among the cards Lee bought for a few hundred thousand won, some have increased in value more than tenfold.

Before knowing Otani, Lee said he did not like baseball at all. In the preface of Driving a Porsche, Like Otani, he wrote, "Watching Otani videos before going to sleep is a ritual of worship, a habit like brushing teeth, or a time for meditation."

He said that knowing Otani allowed him to experience immersion in baseball, and that immersion became a strength to overcome other hardships, enriching his life. Lee plans to watch two games of the Seoul Series with about 100 fan cafe members. He said he intends to follow Otani’s movements during the Seoul Series to get his autograph. If he gets a single moment to speak to him, he said he would say, "You have changed my life. For the better. Thank you!"