Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Shohei Ohtani received a warm welcome on enemy soil.

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, U.S., on Monday (Sept. 9).

Ohtani led off the game with a single up the middle in the first inning and followed it up with a triple to right-center in the third. He then hit a two-run shot to center field in the seventh inning, one short of a hit for the cycle. 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 bottom of the ninth, he hit a sacrifice fly to put runners on first and third. It’s understandable that there would be a lot of animosity, especially against the local rival Angels, who were on a nine-game winning streak dating back to last year, but not for Ohtani at the plate.

According to Japanese media outlet The Answer, the Dodger Stadium crowd erupted in cheers when Ohtani hit a home run in the seventh inning. Dodger fans chanted, “We want Ohtani” and “Ohtani is a future Dodger player,” and actively engaged in “sales” for Ohtani.

On the previous day (Aug. 8), after Ohtani stepped on second base, he and Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts greeted each other, with fans chanting, “Betts is looking for a job,” 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 Aug. 8. In a humorous attempt to deflect the “tampering” controversy, Roberts said, “I’ve heard his name before. 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.”

The Dodgers, the best team in the National League, will naturally be targeting 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. As a pitcher, he went 7-4 with 132 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA in 17 appearances.카지노

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 a self-deprecating assessment that they were “just trying to get Ohtani next year.