Dave Roberts and Shohei Ohtani Purchased Opening Day Gifts

On the tag of the high-end Seiko watch was a tag that read, “Happy Opening Day!! Three-Peat!! – Shohei Ohtani.”

Ohtani's generosity has long been documented, including with the release of his children's book that has proceeds from sales supporting non-profit animal rescue organizations that help animals find forever homes.

“He is just very generous. He’s very thoughtful,” Roberts said of Ohtani before the game. “This is the third year he’s been with us, and he’s gotten a gift for us every Opening Day. Just very thoughtful.”

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with one walk and also reached on a hit by pitch in the Dodgers' 8-2 comeback win.

Most popular MLB jersey: Shohei Ohtani

For the third year in a row, Ohtani is atop the list of MLB's most popular jerseys. He's joined by Dodgers teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto (No. 2), Mookie Betts (No. 5), Freddie Freeman (No. 7) and Kiké Hernández (No. 12).

This ranking accounts for sales of Nike jerseys from the Fanatics network of sites, including MLBShop.com, since the conclusion of the 2025 World Series. Ohtani and Yamamoto represent the first time Japanese players have ranked in the top two spots.

Since 2023, fans have purchased Ohtani’s Nike jersey more than any other in the United States, Japan and worldwide.

In some sense that's to be expected given Ohtani's immense global popularity and remarkable success with the Dodgers. Although the two-way star was a marketing force during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani's celebrity has seemingly reached new heights with the Dodgers as they attempt to three-peat.

He's in position to add onto that this year, which Roberts believes could include a Cy Young Award. Though, that's also an honor Yamamoto has expressed an interest in winning.

No Japanese pitcher has ever won a Cy Young Award in MLB history. Ohtani is scheduled to make his 2026 pitching debut on Tuesday.