TORONTO – Shohei Ohtani was candid 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 accumulating his miles. loyalty. He never flew to Toronto in December and never made a decision before announcing on Instagram his intention to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani is booed in Toronto. 👀 pic.twitter.com/76IAqiZwwd
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2024
That didn’t stop the Rogers Center crowd from booing him a few times when his name was called during pre-game presentations Friday as he came to visit his new club. The noise turned into a roar as he entered 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 always does. Toronto starter Chris Bassitt attempted a slider inside. Ohtani didn’t miss it, turning the boos into oohs for a solo home run and continuing what was a torrid streak at the plate. He leads the majors with a 1.119 OPS in his first three plate appearances of the day, to go along with what now represents seven home runs.
The most recent one was a pretty easy flight to follow.
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani hitting a solo home run in the first inning: Nathan Denette / Canadian Press / Associated Press)