No one knows what Shohei Ohtani will do this fall, with what team he might sign, or why. But, if fans can influence his decision — and they probably cannot — it is worth a shot.
So, with T-Mobile Park sold out for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, and with a national television audience watching, the Seattle fans cleared their throats before each of the two times Ohtani came to bat.
And then the chant started, loud and clear, over and over: Come to Seattle! Come to Seattle!
“I never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it,” Ohtani said, via interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
The second half of what just about most folks here believe will be his last season with the Angels is about to start, and with it a baseball nation searching for clues hidden in very polite and decidedly noncommittal answers.
What, someone asked, did Ohtani think of Seattle? Turns out he has spent time here during two winters.
“Every time I come here, the fans are passionate,” Ohtani said. “They’re really into the game. It’s very impressive.”
He added: “I like the city. It’s beautiful.”
He’s signing with the Mariners!
Which player, someone else asked, was Ohtani most impressed with?
“Not just today, but watching guys overall, I feel like Mookie Betts really impresses me,” Ohtani said. “He can play the outfield, play the middle infield. He’s so versatile.”
He’s signing with the Dodgers!
The respect is mutual. On Monday, Betts told The Times: “I would love nothing more than for him to come to the Dodgers.”
Which players, someone else asked, might have encouraged you to sign with their team?
Ohtani smiled.
“I’d like to keep that a secret,” he said. “Even if someone said that, I don’t think I would be able to say it right here.”
(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)
When you were laughing with Luis Arraez at second base, someone else asked, what were you talking about?
“He got thrown out the inning before,” Ohtani said, “so he told me, ‘I need your legs to be safe next time.’
“Every time I watch him on TV, he’s gets base hits, every single time. It’s very, very impressive.”
He’s signing with the Marlins! (OK, probably not.)
Ohtani looked so happy. He smiled so freely. If his facial expressions could talk, they would say he just wants to play games that mean something, to find the spotlight and embrace it. We saw Ohtani look that way in the World Baseball Classic too.
Now he returns to the Angels, a team that last played in a postseason game when Ohtani was in his second of five seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters. This year’s Angels have lost nine of 10 games to fall into fourth place in the American League West, one game under .500, five games out of a wild-card spot with three teams to pass.
The Angels’ odds of making the playoffs have fallen to 3.9%, according to Baseball Reference.
Ohtani has plenty to play for in the second half: a second most valuable player award, a chance to break Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs, the richest contract in North American sports history.
The Angels have three weeks to consider trading him, which they are not inclined to do, and otherwise they have three months left with him. He has not ruled out returning to the Angels, although you could not find anyone here who thought he would be back in Anaheim.
Still, when the Angels return home Friday, a few chants of “Stay in Anaheim! Stay in Anaheim!” could not hurt. You might think you know, but you never know.