Last winter, there was a moment of confusion over fake news about Shohei Ohtani, FA.
On December 9 (Korean time), when Ohtani was on the FA negotiation tour, MLB Network reporter John Morosi posted on SNS, “According to sources, Ohtani headed to Toronto today. Ohtani’s agency did not answer questions about this. Currently, Ohtani has not signed a contract with any club yet.” Ohtani announced that his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays is imminent.
Immediately, however, an article refuted Otani’s claim, saying that he is currently in LA, and the Dodgers confirmed it, and it turned out to be misinformation. It was only for a few hours, but Toronto fans may have been excited about recruiting Otani, dreaming of the World Series.
At that time, the Toronto Blue Jays along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants made the final offer to Ohtani. The terms and conditions were reportedly similar to the 700 million dollar 10-year contract that Ohtani agreed with the Dodgers. At that time, the Toronto leaders invited Ohtani to Dunedin Spring Training Camp in Florida and gave him a warm reception. However, Ohtani joined hands with the Dodgers, which has already become more comfortable with the two advantages of winning the championship.
As a result, fans of the Toronto Blue Jays might have felt a little betrayed by Ohtani. On April 27, when Ohtani was introduced to Rogers Centre, Toronto’s home stadium, for the first time since moving to the Dodgers, 39,688 Toronto fans who visited the stadium booed him all at once. However, Ohtani put it to rest by pulling Toronto starter Chris Bassett’s body slider at his first batter’s box after one out in the top of the first inning. Toronto suffered a crushing defeat of 2:12. Ohtani’s first homer could have made him feel even more vulnerable.
TORONTO, CANADA – AUGUST 25: Joey Loperfido #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays, Addison Barger #47 and Steward Berroa #37 celebrate defeating the Los Angeles Angels at Rogers Centre on August 25, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. Kevin Sousa/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kevin Sousa / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Having lost its long-time “romantic” Otani, Toronto has had the lowest performance in recent years this season. As of Thursday, it is at the bottom of the American League East with 67 wins and 74 losses. Toronto’s failure to enter the postseason for the second time in the past five years after 2021 is not due to the aftermath of its failure to recruit Otani. However, from the media and fans’ point of view, Ohtani and the Dodgers cannot look good. The Dodgers has emerged as a strong candidate for the World Series by ranking first in both leagues.
However, at the end of the season, Canada’s representative media company published an editorial supporting Ohtani, who is trying 50-50, drawing attention.
Canada’s largest media outlet “Toronto Star” said on the 7th (Korean time) that “Shohei Otani is making the impossible possible. We can just sit down, laugh and enjoy it,” expressing expectations for 50-50, evaluating Ohtani’s achievements and challenges.
Writing columnist Bruce Arthur said, “Tani Shohei long ago flowed into the rarest and most enjoyable place an athlete could reach. It was to be a living myth.” Well, Ohtani is doing the impossible again. As of this writing, Ohtani, who currently has 44 homers and 46 steals, was the fastest person in history to reach 40-40 with a walk-off grand slam.”
“In this era, 50-50 is impossible. Even if he doesn’t get there, it doesn’t matter. Hasn’t anyone been there yet?” He said. “At 50-50, Alex Rodriguez lacked eight homers and four steals, while Ronald Acuña Jr. lacked nine homers. The Dodgers have 22 games left.” 메이저놀이터
Arthur listed Ohtani’s achievements after entering the Major League, emphasizing that 50 home runs and 50 steals are not realistic.
If Otina becomes MVP again this year, she will win three awards in the last four years. In response, Arthur said, “Barry Bonds is the only player in MLB history who has made three out of four MVP seasons,” adding, “Maybe Ohtani will try another one next year. There will be 60 homers, 20 wins and 40 homers, 40 steals, and the first 20 complete games since Burt Bliven.”
Arthur said, “Maybe it was the best that Ohtani didn’t come to Toronto. Ohtani is prolonging his Anaheim days. He did an amazing job with the cursed team. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are 84-56. Ohtani will have the second most meaningful game of his career. He was named MVP of the 2023 WBC.” That means he will be playing his first postseason game.
