Upon joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on a historic contract, Shohei Ohtani brought with him an overwhelming wave of optimism to go along with his star status.
With the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani wore No. 17, which was occupied on the Dodgers roster Joe Kelly. After the veteran reliever gave his number to the new Dodgers superstar, Ohtani gifted Kelly’s wife Ashley a brand-new Porsche.
Kelly mentioned it was because of Ohtani’s prominent stature that he had such an easy decision in giving up the number. However, Ashley was a main driver in that transfer, starting an “Ohtake17” campaign on social media with numerous posts and videos.
Through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani discussed how much he appreciated and enjoyed all the videos Ashley created, per SportsNet LA:
“First off, all those videos she made, those were some of the greatest videos I’ve watched, had a great laugh at it. And secondly, I feel like your jersey number is really important, especially to a baseball player. So I feel like if he was going to give that up for me, I needed to reward it.”
Ohtani is a representative for Porsche, and it’s not known what else was on the list for Kelly in the number exchange. It was an expensive trade for Ohtani, but knowing he will be with the Dodgers for the next decade, he should get good use out of that No. 17, while Kelly is only under contract for one more season.
Ohtani is driving much of the fan interest this offseason, but it’s also been a stellar offseason for the Dodgers that saw them land Yoshinobu Yamamot, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernández, among others.
Gavin Lux compliments Shohei Ohtani
In his rehab process from a torn ACL and LCL in his right knee, Gavin Lux has spent a hefty part of his offseason.
Lux credited Ohtani’s physical capabilities and his talent, mentioning the two-way star’s work ethic in both the weight room, and in the on-field drills. He also added that adding Ohtani to the Dodgers’ lineup should bring the offense another step forward.
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