The Los Angeles Dodgers started their series against the Toronto Blue Jays with an offensive outburst, scoring 12 runs in a game that had all eyes on Shohei Ohtani.
The Blue Jays and Dodgers were both pursuing Ohtani during the offseason, and at one point, false reports led fans in Toronto to think the two-way superstar was signing to play north of the border.
Ohtani ultimately joined the Dodgers on a record-setting contract, and their early-season trip to Canada marked Ohtani’s first opportunity to get on a plane to Toronto since becoming a free agent.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not expect Blue Jays fans to boo Ohtani, since the false reports were no fault of his own, but he was met with such treatment.
While Roberts and some players may have been surprised, Ohtani was certainly not, and gave some credit to the fans in Toronto for their passion, he said via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Not surprised,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, chuckling over the fans’ reaction.
“I really do feel that the fans here are passionate, and when they are, that’s the kind of reception that they will probably do. So I’m just very grateful and respectful that the fans here are passionate just as much as the Dodger fans are with us.”
Ohtani ended up truly giving the Blue Jays fans something to truly boo about as he homered in his first at-bat. The solo shot gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, but Roberts doesn’t feel Ohtani was trying to get back at the fans:
Roberts said he didn’t think the boos – from the fans – were “a motivator” for Ohtani but “with Shohei, anything is on the table as far as spectacular things.”
When Ohtani got into the dugout, he was also treated to more jeers, this time from his Dodgers teammates:
“After he homered, the guys in the dugout booed him as well,” Roberts said. “That was pretty funny. He got a big kick out of that.”
That was Ohtani’s only hit of the game, but he did end up drawing a walk and scoring. So far this season, he is batting .354 with a 1.100 on-base plus slugging percentage, giving the Dodgers everything they expected, and what the Blue Jays hoped for themselves.
Shohei Ohtani ties Dodgers record
With his first-inning home run, Ohtani tied Roberts for the Dodgers franchise record of most hit by a Japanese-born player. The duo is currently tied at seven each, and the record should belong solely to Ohtani soon enough.
Roberts tallied his seven home runs over parts of three seasons with the Dodgers, including three for L.A. in 2002.
Ohtani previously broke the MLB record for most home runs hit by a Japan native when he passed Hideki Matsui on April 21.
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