Shohei Ohtani came to his last at-bat at Petco Park with a painful mark of 0-10 in the series against the Padres. While San Diego celebrated two consecutive victories and the atmosphere was heated by the fight for the lead in the West, a fan located next to the visitors’ dugout kept reminding the Japanese player of each of his failures.
But in the ninth inning, with the Dodgers up by five, Ohtani got his own back, hitting a 409-foot solo home run to right field, sealing the Angels’ victory. Although it did not change the outcome of the game, the home run was the perfect response to silence his most insistent critic in the stadium.
Dave Roberts reveals how he experienced the booing and Ohtani’s reaction at Petco Park
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had no hesitation in sharing what happened from the dugout: “It’s very annoying, as he was in my right ear the whole game,” he said, referring to the fan, but what surprised him most was how Ohtani chose to respond, with class and a sense of humor.
After running the bases, Ohtani approached the fan and high-fived him: “It was something out of the ordinary for Shohei, he was exhausting it all game, so it was good to see Shohei initiate the handshake, it was great, it was fun, it was good for Shohei to show his personality.”
The Dodgers-Padres rivalry heats up, but Ohtani keeps his cool
Although the tension between the Padres and Dodgers is increasing, especially with the National League West title at stake, Ohtani has remained true to his style, calm and respectful. He has already shown this before when he was hit by two pitches in a previous series, calming his teammates to avoid conflict. He even shared with Manny Machado after a controversial umpire decision.
That ability to keep his composure, even when provoked, has made him an admired figure both on and off the diamond. And with gestures like the one in San Diego, Ohtani proves that you can compete with intensity without losing elegance and respect.
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