Shohei Ohtani (Angels) is about to create a typhoon. The biggest free agent signing in Major League Baseball history is on the verge of changing teams, possibly as soon as this month. With so much attention on his future, reporters covering the All-Star Game asked him some tough questions. Ohtani was unable to answer.
Ohtani was named to the All-Star team this year as both a designated hitter and pitcher. He also received the most fan votes of any American League All-Star. At the All-Star Game on Wednesday, he started as the American League’s No. 2 designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He struck out in his first at-bat and walked in his second before being replaced by pinch-hitter Salvador Perez for his third at-bat. The 32-homer explosion of the first half of the season did not come in this All-Star Game.
But Ohtani’s mere presence was a point of interest. Even the star players on the All-Star team took notice and asked to take pictures with him. There was no shortage of autograph seekers.
스포츠토토Brent Rooker (Oakland) announced that he would “politely” ask for an autograph when he hit a home run against Ohtani. At the Home Run Derby on the 11th, Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta) and Juan Soto (San Diego) took photos with Ohtani.
Ohtani led off the fourth inning with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Luis Araes (Miami), the “four-hit man,” approached him and spoke to him on the replay. “It was right after Araes was thrown out at second base (on a failed steal), and (Araes) made a joke like, ‘I need four feet,'” Ohtani said.
The American reporter then asked Ohtani, “Have any players from other teams asked you to come to our team next year? “Well, it’s a secret. Even if they told me, I couldn’t tell you,” he laughed. “I don’t know, it’s a secret,” he laughed, “but even if they told me, I couldn’t tell you.
However, at the All-Star Game, Seattle’s home fans “openly” chanted “come to Seattle” at Ohtani, creating another highlight. The Seattle fans chanted back, expressing their desire for him to come to Seattle. Reflecting on the moment, Ohtani said, “I’ve never experienced anything like that. I could definitely hear them, but I was focused on my at-bat.”
Shohei Ohtani