Shohei Ohtani looks truly happy to still be living in the City of Angels, based on the big grin he repeatedly flashed in SoFi Stadium at the Thursday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints. The face of baseball basked in all the applause he received, further illustrating that signing with the Dodgers was personally the right move for him.
When he was shown on the jumbotron, Ohtani looked simultaneously fired-up, humbled and just plain overjoyed, as captured by ESPN's Lindsey Thiry. His popularity should only grow after this display of emotions, at least as far as Dodgers fans are concerned.
Huge cheers for Shohei Ohtani when shown on the big screen in SoFi Stadium. pic.twitter.com/5pOqLK5TOI
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) December 22, 2023
Dodgers newest star Shohei Ohtani is in attendance for the Rams vs. Saints TNF matchup 🤩pic.twitter.com/4aI3J1SUpC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 22, 2023
The Rams made sure it was a great night all around for the visiting MVP, winning a pivotal game against the Saints, 30-22. They move to 8-7 while maintaining their NFC playoff positioning with just two weeks left in the regular season.
As most people know, there is little that motivates Ohtani more than postseason aspirations, so seeing LA possibly solidify its own will probably leave him even more excited for his inaugural campaign with the reigning National League West champions. His good mood makes even more sense following the news that fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto is joining the Dodgers after agreeing to a 12-year, $325 million contract.
Although this is the honeymoon phase, Shohei Ohtani does not look like a man who is going to sour anytime soon. He is a hero in LA, even after leaving the Angels in the rear-view mirror. That is transcendent star power rarely seen in sports.