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Everyone who has fallen in love in the past knows that the old adage of first love never dying has a strong basis in reality. Nothing simply beats one's first; in this case, Shohei Ohtani certainly still feels fond of the Los Angeles Angels franchise even after signing a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason. But manager Dave Roberts believes that Ohtani, has indeed, moved on to bigger and better things with his current team.
Speaking with reporters following the Dodgers' 6-2 win over the Angels, Roberts mentioned how Ohtani has taken the huge transitions he has undergone this season — facing the pressures of owning professional sports' most expensive contract, overcoming his former interpreter's betting scandal, and rehabbing from an elbow injury in an attempt to return to the mound in 2025 — in stride, doing so with a workmanlike mentality instead of falling prey to sentiment.
“It's just how he's wired. I think that some people are pretty emotional about things and some people are just very kind of unemotional. He's just simplistic in that sense. It's part of his past, and a significant part of his life, but I don't think it's something he continues to think through. I think he's more of a forward-thinking person,” Roberts said, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
If ever Shohei Ohtani feels sentimental over how his Angels stint went down, it did not show in the way he conducted himself in his first return to Angel Stadium as a member of the Dodgers. Ohtani may have made a name for himself with the Angels, but in the world of professional sports, money talks and is a huge indicator of how a team values an individual.
With the Angels not even coming to the table with an offer, let alone one that rivals that of the Dodgers', Roberts never thought that Ohtani's old team posed much of a threat to keep him this past offseason.
“I don't think they were in the conversation. Obviously, there was a lot of hearsay. They could've been in the conversation, but I never got wind of that. It might've been on the down low. But Shohei said that they didn't offer him, so I don't think they were part of the conversation,” Roberts added.
Moving on may not be the easiest task in the world. After all, every individual is a summation of their experiences, and Ohtani grew lot during his stint with the Angels — making it one of the most important junctures of, not just his career, but his life as well. But to move on to bigger and better things means to leave the past behind, and that seems to be exactly what the 30-year-old Japanese international is doing.
Shohei Ohtani takes a bit of a backseat in Dodgers' win over the Angels
Anyone who has moved on would want to show their “ex”, so to speak, that they're doing as great as they could. But on Tuesday, Shohei Ohtani did not exactly have his best night on the plate during the Dodgers' 6-2 win over the Angels.
Ohtani went just 1-4 in his homecoming, but his lone hit was a triple. He also reached base another time thanks to a walk, and he ended up scoring both times he reached base. But the Angels mostly kept their old star quiet.
