Inside The Dodgers

Pro-Dodgers Crowd Gives Shohei Ohtani an "M-V-P" Welcome in Anaheim

Maren Angus-Coombs

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Shohei Ohtani didn’t get the grand treatment one should expect for a special player returning to his old home, but the 44,731 fans at Angel Stadium for the first game between the Dodgers and Angels made sure he felt appreciated.

Read more: Will the Angels Recognize Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani at Angel Stadium Tuesday?

Before his first at-bat, Ohtani received a standing ovation. Two innings later, when he ripped a line drive down the right-field line, the crowd greeted him with "M-V-P" chants as he reached third base.

“As a player, I feel very supported and appreciative of all the fans that are in front of me, in front of the team,” Ohtani said through his interpreter Will Ireton. “It makes a difference that they’re out here.”

Ohtani’s return to Anaheim on Tuesday marked one year since his last game in an Angels uniform, and it was also his first time playing a meaningful September game at the stadium.

In March, the Angels honored him with a video tribute, but this time, they just put up a video board message listing his accomplishments as he approached the plate for his first at-bat. By the fifth inning, the description under his name simply read, “Used to work here.”

“The biggest part of all of this is really being able to play at this stadium in front of the Anaheim fans,” Ohtani said. “That was the part that was special for me.”

The Dodgers’ 10-inning, 6-2 victory marked the first meaningful September game Ohtani has ever played at Angel Stadium. With the best record in the National League and a 5.5-game lead over the Padres, Ohtani is finally on the brink of reaching the postseason for the first time in his MLB career.

Ohtani finished the night 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two runs scored, and one RBI. In the top of the 10th, with a 3-2 lead and a runner on first, the Angels chose to intentionally walk Ohtani, opting to pitch to Mookie Betts instead. Betts promptly homered on the first pitch he saw from reliever Roansy Contreras.

“You’re picking poison when you deal with the first three hitters,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “I wasn’t going to let Ohtani swing there, and I have all the respect in the world for Mookie Betts. I just was hoping Contreras could make a pitch and get us a ground ball.”

Ohtani had another chance with a runner on in the eighth, but José Quijada struck him out with a pair of high fastballs.

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Maren Angus-Coombs

MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

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