Shohei Ohtani is no longer a Los Angeles Angel. The team wasted no time in trying to expunge his image from their stadium.
Ohtani announced Saturday that he would be signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for an MLB-record amount of money. More details on the groundbreaking deal can be found here.
Just hours after Ohtani’s official announcement on Instagram, stadium workers began taking down the two-way star’s mural at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The massive image of Ohtani previously stood above the ticket counter.
The Shohei Ohtani mural is officially gone. pic.twitter.com/hOscDWSKtU
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) December 10, 2023
Came by Angel Stadium to purchase some Shohei Ohtani merchandise and it’s insane how they already took down his mural outside of the stadium when it was announced only hours ago he left for the Dodgers. 😳 @Angels #anaheim #angels #angelsbaseball #ShoheiOhtani #SHOHEI #dodgers pic.twitter.com/RQeUnbYJa4
— Rebecca Saryan (@chubecca) December 10, 2023
Ohtani played six seasons with the Angels from 2018 to 2023. He slashed .274/.366/.556 with an OPS of .922 throughout his time in Anaheim.
Despite his relatively brief tenure with the Angels, Ohtani has already left his mark on the franchise. Ohtani’s home run total of 171 ranks 8th in team history.
As a pitcher, Ohtani owns the highest win-loss percentage in Angels history, winning exactly two-thirds of his starts. Ohtani’s strikeouts per 9 innings mark of 11.4 is also higher than any qualified pitcher in Angels history.
However, Ohtani never suited up for an inning of playoff baseball even while playing next to fellow MVP Mike Trout. The lack of postseason appearances likely played a huge factor in Ohtani’s decision to join the Dodgers, who haven’t missed the playoffs since 2012.
