2024-02-15 03:30:00
▲ Ohtani is conducting batting practice.
[스포티비뉴스=윤욱재 기자] Although the regular season hasn’t even started yet, the every move of Shohei Ohtani (30), the best ‘superstar’ in Major League Baseball, is of interest to all fans.
Ohtani, who became the American League’s home run king last year and won MVP, became the center of attention when he declared free agency and signed a 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $700 million.
Ohtani is now accelerating preparations for the regular season through spring training. The Dodgers held spring training at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, USA on the 14th (Korean time), and Ohtani also participated in the training.
On this morning, Dodgers players went to work in their personal vehicles, and Ohtani was also seen driving his Porsche. I went to work with the interpreter sitting in the passenger seat. Dodgers players, including Ohtani, who came to work in casual clothes, changed into training clothes and started training.
On this day, many Dodgers fans gathered at Camelback Ranch and watched Ohtani enter the training field. When asked, “Why did you come here?” Valencia, a die-hard Dodgers fan, said, “Of course, to see the Dodgers players. But to see Ohtani,” and said that he came to Camelback Ranch to see Ohtani in person.
“Everyone is so excited to see Ohtani. Everyone is waiting and watching his moves,” he said. “I’ve been a Dodgers fan my whole life. I come here every spring. It’s great to see him in a Dodgers uniform this year.” “I’m really excited. Like all other Dodgers fans, I was really happy,” he said, adding that he was more pleased than anyone else regarding Ohtani joining the Dodgers.
▲ Shohei Otani is smiling during training. ▲ Shohei Otani is signing autographs for fans.
YouTuber ‘Minitani’ introduced himself as a big fan of Ohtani, saying, “I went and watched all of Ohtani’s games over the past two seasons. All 162 games.” When asked, “Have you reserved tickets for the Seoul Series?” he responded, “Wow, that’s a really good question.” I booked a flight to Korea and a hotel. But I mightn’t buy a ticket for the game. For the past two seasons, I’ve been going anywhere, even if it was far away, to see Otani. However, I failed to reserve a ticket for the first game of this third season. It was the biggest game of my life. “It was an opportunity, but I missed it,” he said, not hiding his regret. Lastly, he left a message to Ohtani, saying, “This is Minitani, and we are watching Ohtani’s performance well. We will continue to support you in the future.”
On this day, Otani stretched out for the new season by conducting live betting. “As you know, Ohtani batted live for the first time since his surgery,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I didn’t see it, but from the hitting coach’s perspective, it was very good. Everything he does is excellent and consistent for a purpose.” “The training was successful. We hit a lot of big balls on the baseball field. The most important thing for us is that Ohtani’s body is moving well and he is feeling good,” he said, giving a positive evaluation of Ohtani’s training.
As Ohtani joined the Dodgers, right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly also received attention. The reason is that Kelly gave up his uniform number, number 17, to Ohtani, and Ohtani gave him a Porsche sports car in return. Kelly said of the sports car he received as a gift from Otani, “I really like it. I’m currently in Arizona and I drive a lot of trucks, but my wife likes it more and the car runs really well. I was surprised when I received the car as a gift, but my wife was especially surprised. “So my whole family liked the gift, and my wife especially likes driving,” he said with a smile.
▲ Shohei Ohtani is taking batting practice. ▲ Shohei Otani is stretching.
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