Fan Intro at DodgerFest
For the first time, Ohtani wore a Dodgers uniform while getting to meet and see his new fanbase. Everyone wanted a glimpse of Shohei.
Ohtani is having a busier offseason than usual, including several public appearances.
DodgerFest 2024
Saturday Feb 3
This weekend was DodgerFest, a new name for an annual event at Dodger Stadium (previously Dodgers FanFest).
It featured “live entertainment, ballpark food and drinks, behind-the-scenes experiences, and an introduction to the club’s newest additions.” Of course, Ohtani was a big draw.
While in the past it was free to get in, this year it was $10 a ticket for admission.
The festival was the first time Ohtani was out in front of fans, wearing the Dodgers jersey. He and Ippei made the rounds, giving a few different interviews throughout.
According to the LA Times, there was an estimated 30,000 fans in attendance.
A few tidbits from Ohtani’s interviews:
On life with his new dog: Decoy loves to chase the beam of a laser pointer, so Ohtani will just point it all around the room while in bed. He also said Decoy would accompany him to Spring Training, but he doesn’t expect him to travel on the road during the regular season.
On his relationship with Ippei: “We're not friends or anything, we're just business partners,” Ohtani said, unable to hold back a smile and laugh after.
On gifting teammate Joe Kelly’s wife a Porsche recently: “She made a great video on social media, and I had a great laugh. I felt like I had to give her something in return that’s worth the same.” He also said that jokes aside, he does think jersey numbers are an important thing and he appreciated Kelly letting him take #17. (Ohtani is also a brand ambassador for Porsche)
On his preferred burger: In-N-Out.
In terms of his health, Ohtani said he’ll start a throwing progression during spring training and that he’s expected to be ready to hit for Opening Day.
Teammate and fellow All-Star player Mookie Betts said during an interview at the fest: “Every game is going to be the other team’s World Series. It is what it is.” It was quickly mocked on social media, and the words could certainly come back to bite him unless the Dodgers break their playoff struggles this year.
But even before Ohtani, it’s been championship or bust for the Dodgers anyway. With him and Yamamoto now there, along with other offseason additions like Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernández, the pressure is on like never before.
BBWAA Dinner for the ‘23 MVPs
Saturday Jan 27
The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) hosted a dinner for its 100th anniversary, which took place in New York City.
The two MVP’s from this year were there as the stars: Acuña and Ohtani.
Ohtani gave his acceptance speech for the MVP award, and did so completely in English – without Ippei this time.
He thanked the voters, congratulated his fellow award recipients, and thanked both the Angels and Dodgers. He also expressed his gratitude for fans around the world – especially in Japan.
The speech Ohtani gave – also available to watch on YouTube – was fully translated in a Japanese newspaper.
Other players like Cy Young winners Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell were also there.
After the event, Ohtani posted a pic with the MVP award in one hand and Decoy in the other.
Decoy’s logic: If it’s not a toy I can play with, what does it matter?
Final Notes
📅 Ohtani will be reporting to Arizona, alongside pitchers and catchers, on Feb 8 for Spring Training. He’s been continually working out at Dodger Stadium lately.
🇯🇵 Along with Ohtani making own contribution, the Dodgers donated $1 million to those impacted by the horrific 7.6 magnitude earthquake that devastated Western Japan on New Year’s Day. 😢
🙏🏼 Shoutout to all the great Ohtani stan accounts for always being a great resource for clips and info – including some of our favs like @shoheisaveus, @ohtanishoheiday, @jell_ni.
🎨 Thank you to 冷し中華 (hiyachu) - @hiyashichuka17 for updating her amazing drawing for our newsletter banner.
❄️ At the annual Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, there’s a new snow sculpture of Ohtani. There was one last year too, but he was solo. This year, Decopin is at his side.
