Shohei Ohtani signed the largest deal in MLB history to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, but at one point, it seemed as if the Japanese superstar was destined to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. That didn't happen, though, and it seemingly left some hard feelings with Blue Jays fans, evident by the Toronto crowd's reaction to Ohtani on Friday.
Ohtani, probably the most popular player in all of MLB, doesn't get booed very often, but that didn't stop Blue Jays fans from showering Ohtani with boos when he came up to bat in the first inning on Friday. The unusual crowd response didn't seem to faze Ohtani, though, and it may have just motivated him more, as he hit his seventh home run of the year to put the Dodgers up 1-0.
After the game, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said Blue Jays' fans being hurt by Ohtani's decision to sign with the Dodgers is “not his fault” and said the media members who reported Ohtani was going to sign with Toronto are to blame.
Manager Dave Roberts and catcher Will Smith said they were surprised by the Toronto crowd's boos but not by Ohtani's home run.
“After he homered, the guys in the dugout booed him as well,” Roberts said (h/t the Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris). “So that was pretty funny. He got a big kick out of that. But I don’t think it’s a motivator.”
Ohtani, for his part, said he was not surprised by the reaction.
“When they are [passionate], that’s the kind of reception that they will probably do,” Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton. “I’m just very grateful for the teams that approached me and wanted to sign me. As I said in my press conference before, ultimately I could only choose one team.”
Shohei Ohtani chose the Dodgers over the Blue Jays
After becoming one of the most exciting and impressive players in MLB history, Shohei Ohtani had a decision to make. He had spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he delivered incredible moments but no postseason success. So when free agency arrived, all eyes followed Ohtani's every move, real or not.
The most memorable of those moves was when Blue Jays fans and reporters were convinced that Ohtani was on a private jet heading to Toronto to sign with the Jays. Unfortunately, Ohtani wasn't on that plane. Instead, he was in Los Angeles, where the next day he signed a historic $700 million contract with the Dodgers to stay in the City of Angels. The plane-tracking saga and the general hope of a superstar of Ohtani's caliber choosing to play in Toronto left some hurt feelings, and the Rogers Centre crowd proved that on Friday.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in January he did not believe Ohtani and his representatives used Toronto to get a better deal from the Dodgers.
“We were obviously very disappointed with the outcome, and it was a very difficult phone call to receive, one of the more difficult ones in my career,” Atkins said. “At the same time, [it was an] incredible process and group effort and collaboration that I feel so good about, not only that process but what it meant to be in that position for the organization, for the city, for the country. There's no doubt in my mind he was exceptionally attracted to this country, this city, this team. We felt incredible about the process, but we moved on.”
Whether Ohtani made the right decision remains to be seen, as long as we're judging it based on team success. The Dodgers, at 18-11, have proven to be a tad underwhelming so far this season, although things have started to round into form; the team has now won six in a row after a rough first few weeks to start the season. Ohtani has also been stellar so far, batting .347 AVG / .410 OBP / .661 SLG.
The Blue Jays have fared worse, especially lately. Toronto has lost its last five straight and sit in a tie for last place in the AL East at 13-15. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time for the Jays to pull out of this skid and salvage their season.
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