Shohei Ohtani holds his proclamation from the Los Angeles City Council during the regular session at City Hall on Friday. The ceremony announcing May 17 as Shohei Ohtani Day was led by Councilmember John Lee and Council President Paul Krekorian, to Ohtani’s left and right.
City Council honors, a coveted bobblehead and making a young dream come true comprise a very special 24 hours for Shohei Ohtani.
Rafu Wire Service and Staff Reports
“That’s the Ohtani effect, for real,” said a Dodgers staff member on Thursday, talking about the sell-out crowd that not only filled the stadium, but arrived much earlier than usual.
Lines of fans snaked around the parking lots long before the gates opened for the mid-week game against Cincinnati.
The sellout crowd of 53,527 was the largest in the major leagues thus far in 2024, and the biggest at Dodger Stadium since Sept. 20, 2019.
In addition to the chance to see the two most exciting players in baseball – Shohei Ohtani and the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz – everyone was focused on the stadium giveaway for the evening, the first Dodgers-issued Ohtani bobblehead doll.
It reportedly took all of 30 minutes to exhaust the supply of 40,000 of the coveted souvenirs, but this giveaway had an added twist: 1,700 of the Ohtani dolls were painted to show the superstar in the Dodgers’ gray road uniform, as opposed to the home whites shown on the majority.
Albert Lee, a 13-year-old pediatric patient at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, is stunned when his favorite player suddenly emerges.
Given at random, the “Ohtani grays” became instant collectors’ items. Even before the game began, several listings for the rarer item popped up on eBay, showing photos of the dolls with the baseball field in the background.
By late Friday afternoon, several auction listings were approaching the $2,000 mark.
Meanwhile, the real-life Ohtani was making a truly priceless impact on one young fan.
In the press room underneath the stands, 13-year-old Albert Lee was being interviewed as a special guest of the team. The youngster from San Bernardino is pediatric patient at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, and has had to endure three open-heart surgeries.
His ticker might have skipped a beat when Ohtani strode into the room and shook Albert’s hand. Stunned and in disbelief, the kid’s jaw dropped as he searched for words.
“What the heck just happened?” Albert asked. “I couldn’t even breathe for like 30 seconds.”
The Dodgers and Ohtani orchestrated the moment as part of the team’s ongoing outreach to communities across Southern California.
“If I was a child, I would be very happy as well,” Ohtani said in a post-game press conference. “It’s something that I kind of wanted to return.”
It only got better for Albert, as Ohtani signed a kid-sized jersey for him and then took on the role of catcher when the boy threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch.
As for the game, Ohtani went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout on his first bobblehead night with his new team.
The other marquee player in the game did not disappoint, however. De La Cruz went 4-for-4 with a career-high four stolen bases as the Reds cruised to a 7-2 victory.
On Friday morning, it was the baseball star’s turn to be honored, as the Los Angeles City Council proclaimed May 17 Shohei Ohtani Day, in honor of the popular slugger and in recognition of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilmember John Lee led the ceremony to recognize Ohtani and the “unifying’’ force the Dodgers have on the city.
Ohtani, speaking through interpreter Will Ireton, thanked the council for the proclamation. He also called it an “incredible honor’’ and felt humbled by the recognition.
“I also want to really thank the Dodgers organization for their continued support, as well as to the entire people in the city of L.A.,’’ Ohtani said.
The council members also recognized Dodger leadership, including Stan Kasten, president and CEO; Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations; front office executives Bob Wolfe, Lon Rosen and Brandon Gomes; and manager Dave Roberts, who were all in attendance.
“It was an enormous moment for this city earlier this year when the Dodgers were successful in completing the most important free agent acquisition, probably in baseball history, when they signed an athlete who has achieved things in professional baseball that no one has achieved since Babe Ruth,’’ Krekorian said.
He added that Ohtani’s presence is also important in further deepening the ties between the city and Japan.
“Simply put, Shohei has become part of the fabric of Los Angeles,” Kasten said in a statement released by the team. “Since becoming a member of the Dodger family in December, Shohei has been every-thing we’ve hoped for and more. We are grateful for his accomplishments on the field, his warmth in the clubhouse and his character in all respects – and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”
Lee noted that with May being Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, it was fitting to recognize Ohtani and his contributions to the field of sports.
“It’s such a privilege and thank you for everything that you’re doing because we have people (Asian Americans) in politics, we have people in entertainment and all these different things — and now we have someone in sports,’’ Lee said.
Most City Council members were clad in blue. Councilmember Traci Park donned her Dodgers jersey and hat, while Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez had the Ohtani bobblehead on his desk.
Ohtani signed a $700 million contract with the Dodgers during the offseason after six years with the Angels. But since the season began, his on-field performance has been somewhat overshadowed by the firing and subsequent criminal charges against the slugger’s former interpreter.
Ippei Mizuhara is accused of stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off illegal gambling debts and personal expenses such as dental work and purchases of baseball cards. He is expected to plead guilty next month to bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
Ohtani also made news in the offseason relating to his personal life, confirming on social media his marriage to Mamiko Tanaka, a former Japanese professional basketball player.