There appear to be no hard feelings between Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels fan base.
On Tuesday, Ohtani made his return to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. for the first time as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, albeit in a spring training game.
Before Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box for his first at-bat, the Angels played a heartfelt tribute video dedicated to their former two-way star. The reel showed some of Ohtani’s best moments in Anaheim while playing audio from the 2-time MVP’s goodbye message to his former team.
Ohtani appeared to get a little emotional as he watched the video. Angels fans gave him a standing ovation as Shohei tipped his helmet toward his former home crowd.
Shohei Ohtani receives a warm welcome back to Angel Stadium 🫶
🎥: @SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/zTAIkL2usG
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 27, 2024
Ohtani struck out on six pitches against Angels starter Chase Silseth. He went 0-2 with 2 strikeouts before being pinch hit for by Miguel Rojas.
The tribute might have felt like a bit of a reprieve for Ohtani amid the ongoing gambling scandal centered around his former translator Ippei Mizuhara.
Ohtani spent his first six seasons with the Angels. He slashed .274/.366/.556 with 171 home runs and 437 RBIs across 701 games played in Anaheim.
Ohtani also pitched in 86 games for the Angels with an ERA of 3.01 and 608 strikeouts across 481.2 innings.
