(Photo credit score: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
Even earlier than Shohei Ohtani was formally launched by the Los Angeles Dodgers, he had set one new report.
Fanatics reported Wednesday that gross sales of the No. 17 Ohtani Dodgers jersey broke their report for the variety of jerseys offered within the first 48 hours. The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a report 10-year, $700 million deal on Saturday.
Come Thursday afternoon, Ohtani was carrying a jersey of his personal as he formally traded in his Los Angeles Angels uniform for Dodger blue.
“There’s a lot of reasons (why he chose the Dodgers),” Ohtani stated by way of interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, “but one thing that really stands out in my head is when I had the meeting with the Dodgers, the ownership group, they said when they looked back at the last 10 years, even though they made the playoffs every single year, won one World Series ring, they considered that a failure. When I heard that, I knew they were all about winning.”
Ohtani, 29, has but to achieve the postseason in his six MLB seasons spent fully with the Angels.
To that finish, Ohtani defined why his contract, which incorporates $680 million in deferred cash, additionally has an opt-out clause after any season if both proprietor Mark Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman go away the Dodgers.
“Everybody has to be on the same page to have a winning organization. I feel like those two are at the top of it, and are in control of everything,” Ohtani stated. “It’s almost like I’m having a contract with those two guys. I felt like if one of them are gone, then we might not be on the same page and things might get a little out of control, so I just wanted a little safety net.”
Ohtani received American League Rookie of the Year adopted by two league MVP awards throughout his time with the Angels, the place he made a reputation for himself stateside as one of the crucial dominant athletes in any sport.
“It was a fun ride, a great ride for the last six years. … I’ll never forget all the memories I have,” Ohtani stated. “There’s always sadness leaving teams. Last time it was the (Nippon Ham Fighters) and in this case it was the Angels.”
Ohtani declined to debate which different groups he negotiated with in his free company, in addition to the kind of elbow process he underwent in September. Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024 however will have the ability to bat.
Ohtani did reveal a very powerful query in lots of baseball followers’ minds: His canine’s identify is Dekopin in Japanese, and Decoy in English. The canine appeared with him in a video interview when he was named AL MVP final month, however he had been coy about its identify.
As for the Dodgers, pursuing the generational two-way expertise was a no brainer.
“Shohei is arguably the most talented player who has ever played this game,” Friedman stated. “One of our goals is to have baseball fans in Japan convert to Dodger blue.”
The signing additionally offered an anticipated spike in merchandise gross sales again residence.
Per Fanatics, the Lionel Messi jersey along with his new MLS group, Inter Miami, beforehand ranked No. 1 for 48-hour gross sales, adopted by the jerseys of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, Justin Fields (Chicago Bears) and Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies).
The No. 17 beforehand was worn with the Dodgers by reduction pitcher Joe Kelly. Last week, his spouse, Ashley Kelly, launched a marketing campaign with the hashtag “ohtake17,” providing the quantity to Ohtani. One video confirmed him how she would modify all the No. 17 gadgets within the Kelly family to be used by his household and associates.
The Dodgers introduced Tuesday that Kelly will put on No. 99. Ohtani wore No. 17 in all of his six seasons as a two-way famous person with the Los Angeles Angels.
–Field Level Media