TORONTO – Shohei Ohtani was earnest about his interest in potentially coming to Toronto to sign with the Blue Jays this winter, and said he was as surprised as anyone to see the inaccurate reports about where he was racking up his frequent flyer miles. He was never on a flight to Toronto this December, nor had he made a decision before he announced his intentions on Instagram to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani is met with boos in Toronto. 👀 pic.twitter.com/76IAqiZwwd
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2024
That did little to impede the Rogers Centre crowd from dispensing a few boos when his name was called in pregame introductions Friday when he came to visit with his new club. The smattering turned into a roar as he stepped into the batter’s box for the first time.
Shohei Ohtani goes deep in Toronto! pic.twitter.com/qS6ZeAdAc1
— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2024
Then, Ohtani did what he has always done. Toronto starter Chris Bassitt tried a slider inside. Ohtani didn’t miss it, turning the boos into oohs for a solo home run and continuing what has been a torrid stretch at the plate. He leads the majors with a 1.119 OPS through his first three plate appearances of the day to go with what is now seven home runs.
The most recent one was a rather easy flight to track.
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani hitting a solo home run in the first inning: Nathan Denette / Canadian Press / Associated Press)
