Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Shohei Ohtani received a warm welcome on enemy soil.바카라사이트
Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and one run scored in the first game of the 2023 Major League Baseball “Freeway Series” against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, on 9 September.
Ohtani led off the day with a single up the middle in the first inning and followed it up with a triple to right-centre in the third. He followed that up with a hit for the cycle in the seventh inning with a two-run shot to centre field, one short of a double. The team lost to the Dodgers 5-10.
The Dodgers jumped out to a big lead early in the day, but fell behind 9-4 on Ohtani’s home run. A home run by an opposing batter is never a pleasant sight for Dodger fans. In the ninth inning, he hit a single with runners on first and third. You’d think the animosity would be high, especially against the local rival Angels, who were on a nine-game winning streak dating back to last year, but not for Ohtani.
According to Japanese media outlet The Anser, the Dodger Stadium crowd erupted in cheers when Ohtani hit his seventh-inning home run. Dodger fans chanted “We want Ohtani” and “Ohtani is a future Dodger player” and actively made a “sales pitch” for Ohtani.
The previous day (8th), Ohtani was seen exchanging pleasantries with Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts after stepping on second base, with fans chanting “Betts is recruiting” and suggesting that Betts was already pitching the Dodgers to Ohtani, who will be a free agent next year.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was also asked about Ohtani before the game on 8th. “I’ve heard his name before,” Roberts said with humour, as if to shut down the “tampering” controversy. I’ve heard he’s a great player,” he said, adding, “It’s a good thing he’s not pitching in our series. It’s going to be fun for the fans to watch.”
As the best team in the National League, the Dodgers will naturally have their sights set on Ohtani. In the first half of the year, Ohtani led the league in home runs and RBI in 89 games with 103 hits (32 home runs), 71 RBI, a .663 OPS and a 1.050 slugging percentage. He also appeared in 17 games as a pitcher, going 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA and 132 strikeouts.
Acquiring Ohtani would have the effect of bringing in a pitcher and a hitter at the same time, so his expected price tag is expected to top $500 million, a major league record. The Dodgers’ lack of movement last winter led to the self-deprecating assessment that they were “just trying to get Ohtani next year.