For the first time in a year, Shohei Ohtani took the field for a regular-season game at Angel Stadium on Tuesday. This time, he did so in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.
The reception as Ohtani walked to the batter’s box captured many facets of his exit and return from the franchise with which he spent the first six seasons of his MLB career. There were mostly cheers, reflecting his MVP-level success (and likely more than a few Dodger fans in attendance). There were a few boos, reflecting that not everyone was happy to see him sign a $700 million contract with a crosstown rival.
And it just wasn’t a full crowd, reflecting how much the franchise lost when he went away.
The Angels didn’t treat Ohtani’s return with too much reverence. The Athletic’s Sam Blum reported that as of Monday, there were no plans to honor Ohtani before the game, and that mostly held.
The team had a graphic showing his accomplishments — Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, two Silver Sluggers — but played a video only on social media. It’s probably worth pointing out that they did play a video when Ohtani visited for a spring training game.
The Angels also had some fun with Ohtani, dropping “Used to work here” as his fun fact on the videoboard in the fifth inning.
Ohtani grounded out to first in his first at-bat but came through for an RBI triple to tie the game in his next trip to the plate. He finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory in 10 innings.
Ohtani played a role in the extra innings, as the Angels intentionally walked him in the 10th to reach Mookie Betts rather than face their old superstar. Betts responded with a game-winning, three-run homer.
It wasn’t the first time the Angels made the difficult decision to let Ohtani walk.
Shohei Ohtani will always be part of Angels history
The game was Ohtani’s first at Angel Stadium in a visiting uniform, on the anniversary of his final game in an Angels uniform. Ohtani played his first six MLB seasons in Anaheim, outperforming the outsized expectations he arrived with as a high-profile prospect out of Japan.
Hailed as the Japanese Babe Ruth, Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017 at 23 years old and quickly delivered on his promise as a generational two-way player. He earned AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 while thriving at the plate and in limited appearances on the mound.
In his first MLB season, Ohtani slashed .285/.361/.564 with 22 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He posted a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in…