Seattle Mariners Fans Make Impassioned Plea to Shohei Ohtani During All-Star Game At-Bat
Seattle Mariners fans went viral during the first inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night for their impassioned plea to Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani.
As Ohtani stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first inning against Zac Gallen, Mariners fans could be heard yelling "Come to Seattle" as they make their pitch to get Ohtani to the Emerald City.
You can watch the scene below:
Ohtani reportedly nearly picked the Mariners when he came to the United States from Japan before the 2018 season, but opted for the Angels at the last second. Some insiders around the sport were surprised at that selection and had thought that the M's were going to land the two-way star initially.
The Mariners certainly appear to be in the mix for Ohtani when he hits free agency at the end of the season. Ohtani clearly likes the organization after having almost picked them, the Mariners are a good team with a lot of young talent, and they've had success with Japanese players before. One of those players, Ichiro Suzuki, is one of Ohtani's idols.
The Dodgers, Mets, and other high-bidding teams also are in the mix.
As could every team in the sport, the Mariners could use Ohtani on the roster. The Mariners are starved for additional offense and could benefit from a middle of the order presence.
The two-way sensation is hitting .302 this year for the Angels with 32 homers and 71 RBI. His 32 homers lead baseball and he's posted a robust .387 on-base percentage.
He's also 7-4 on the mound and has registered 132 strikeouts in 100.1 innings.
Ohtani is 0-1 in the All-Star Game as of this posting.
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