When baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani is in the batter’s box, he generates rare power with his smooth, left-handed swing. When he’s on the mound, the Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star unleashes 100 mph fastballs with ease.
Within moments of watching him, it’s clear: on a baseball diamond, Ohtani is without peer.
That explains why Ohtani is being honored this summer by ITO EN, Ltd., the developer of “Oi Ocha,” the world’s top unsweetened green tea beverage brand. The brand recently unveiled bottle designs that celebrate all 63 home runs that Ohtani unleashed during the 2025 campaign – 55 during the regular-season, and eight in the playoffs (tying the second-most in MLB™ history).
The premium bottles’ official sales launched in late June.
In honoring the four-time MLB™ MVP, the beverage company produced “truly a remarkable initiative – one that only ITO EN could pull off in such a unique way,” said Keishiro Jubaru, Asia Director of MLB™ Global Corporate Partnerships.
Ohtani is already a six-time MLB™ All-Star with more than 300 career home runs. If you couple that with his other-worldly command on the mound, you have baseball’s best two-way player since the legendary Babe Ruth more than a century ago.
“Oi Ocha” – Japan’s top-selling unsweetened green tea brand – also stands out from the competition. Its green tea features zero calories, no sugar, purified water, vitamin C, roughly 60 mg of caffeine per bottle and sets an industry standard for authentic brewed tea taste.
"Oi Ocha" paid homage to Ohtani’s World Series-winning 2025 exploits recently with a one-day-only exhibition booth that showcased all “55+8” bottles. The exhibition booth was located at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo.
“Ohtani’s bottle campaign has already resonated deeply with so many fans,” Jubaru said.
Ohtani does great things off the field, too. For instance, the Dodgers star and native of Japan partnered with ITO EN for the “Green Tea for Good” global social contribution project, launched in 2024. Starting that summer, the initiative utilized a portion of sales from “Oi Ocha” beverages and leaf products and implemented conservation activities in five countries and regions around the world. The project has included activities such as cherry tree planting in Torrance, Calif., and cleanup at Kapiolani Park on Oahu Island, Hawaii.
Ohtani also established a high standard by picking up trash during baseball games, supporting his mentor’s teaching that “picking up trash is picking up happiness. Inspired by such examples, ITO EN launched “Make the World BeauTEAful with Tea” – a project that promotes trash collection and sorting. This project entered its third year in July, and ITO EN has pledged to continue to implement forest, water, and biodiversity conservation activities both domestically and worldwide with its global ambassador, Ohtani.
Ohtani is a former American League Rookie of the Year. He was the first Japanese player to win the AL home run title.
In 2024, the superstar ascended to truly rarefied air, when he joined the Dodgers and promptly became the first player in MLB™ history to surpass 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Eventually, he won back-to-back league MVPs.
It goes without saying that Shohei Ohtani is in a league of his own – not unlike “Oi Ocha.” Perhaps that’s why the MLB™ star and the beverage brand make such an ideal pairing.
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