Shohei Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Japan, sits in the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sept. 1, 2024, in Phoenix.
11:02 JST, September 4, 2024
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has returned to the stadium and the city where he did just about everything except win.
The two-way superstar was back at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night for his first regular-season game as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani left the Angels as a free agent last winter after six losing seasons, a move that has taken him much further than just the 30-mile I-5 freeway from Anaheim to Los Angeles.
After becoming a baseball sensation despite playing for the perennially struggling Angels, Ohtani now finds himself on the best team in the majors. As the Halos trudge toward the end of yet another season as one of the worst teams in the major leagues, Ohtani is just weeks away from making his MLB postseason debut.
But first he plays two games in the stadium’s visitors’ area, where his extraordinary presence has been the most exciting of the Angels’ six otherwise dismal years of baseball.
“I think it’s going to be special for everybody,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “Just on Shohei’s behalf, it could be a little bit of closure, in terms of it’s been such a great time here in Anaheim, in terms of connecting with the fans. They get a chance to show their appreciation tonight. It’s going to be a nice moment, but I know he’s excited to be a Dodger and compete for a championship.”
Exactly one year after his last appearance for the Angels, Ohtani was in his regular spot as leadoff batter and designated hitter for the Dodgers when the Freeway Series got underway in Anaheim.
Ohtani is everything the Dodgers expected when they signed him to the richest contract in baseball history. He leads the National League with 44 homers, steals 46 bases and has a string of offensive numbers that look remarkably similar to his stats during his final season in Anaheim.
The difference is his new uniform: Ohtani’s brilliance is now complemented by players and an organization with a long winning tradition. The Angels are coming off their ninth consecutive losing season and their 10th consecutive non-playoff season — both the longest active streaks in the majors.
Ohtani’s transition from outside the championship race in Anaheim to the center of attention in Los Angeles has been smooth both personally and professionally, Roberts said.
It’s been pretty seamless, and I say ‘closure’ because I think it’s more for the fans, Roberts said. “I think Shohei has rightly moved on. He’s doing a great job of separating real life from work. But I think this is something that people are looking forward to. They’ve marked it on their calendars.”
The Angels could finish this season with the worst regular season record in franchise history, but first-year manager Ron Washington is looking forward to seeing Ohtani back in the stadium that has been packed with his fans for the past six seasons.
A very special baseball player, Washington said. “Anytime you get a chance to be on the field with him, you try to keep your jaw up, because he can do things out there that make him fall. I just hope we can keep our jaw up, instead of watching him fall. You might be able to hold him down, but you can’t stop him, and I just want to hold him down.”
