Shohei Ohtani is impressed with the passion of Seattle Mariners fans after the Los Angeles Angels superstar and impending free agent was courted with a chant at T-Mobile Park during Tuesday’s All-Star Game:
“I’ve never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it,” Ohtani said postgame through his interpreter, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “I was just trying to focus on my at-bat and the game. … Every time I come here, the fans are passionate, they’re really into the game. So, it’s very impressive.”
The 29-year-old has enjoyed extended stays in the Pacific Northwest during his MLB career.
“I’ve actually spent about two offseasons in Seattle, a total of four months maybe,” Ohtani said Monday. “And I felt like it’s a very nice city. I really liked it.”
Ohtani is the favorite to win his second AL MVP award in the last three years thanks to a monster first half that saw him go deep an MLB-high 32 times and with a 1.050 OPS. On the mound, the three-time All-Star posted a 3.32 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 100 1/3 innings (17 starts). He’s expected to land the largest deal in major-league history when he likely enters free agency.
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