Toronto Blue Jays fans let Shohei Ohtani hear it before and during Game 1 of the World Series, their disapproval of him not picking their team in free agency in 2023 clearly still evident Friday night at Rogers Centre.
Before signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the two-way star met with Blue Jays officials on Dec. 4, 2023, at the team’s spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida. Toronto manager John Schneider joked Thursday that he wanted Ohtani to return a Blue Jays hat and a jacket for his dog, Decoy, that he took after that meeting.
Blue Jays fans took a more pointed approach at Ohtani on Friday night, booing him loudly during pregame introductions.
They then chanted “We don’t need you!” while he batted in the ninth inning. He walked in that at-bat then was nearly picked off a moment later by left-hander Eric Lauer with two outs. Ohtani was ruled safe after a video review but was ultimately stranded on the bases as Toronto closed out the 11-4 win.
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“Don’t poke the bear,” Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt warned about the Ohtani chants.
Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement said it was all in good fun.
“I couldn’t help but laugh,” he said. “We have the guys we have, and the guys we have have done a hell of a job. I don’t think we need any more of what we have right now.”
Toronto’s George Springer said everybody heard the chant.
“At the end of the day, Shohei Ohtani is an unbelievable baseball player. Any team that he would be on, it would be awesome. But he’s over there and not here,” Springer said. “He’s one of the best baseball players ever, and he’s got 15 years to go.”
Ohtani did show fans in Toronto what they are missing.
With the Dodgers trailing 11-2 in the seventh inning, he hit a soaring two-run homer to right field off Braydon Fisher. It was his fourth homer in two games after connecting three times and striking out 10 as a pitcher in a Game 4 win to clinch the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
