A real circus despite the disturbing modesty of Shohei Ohtani! With the Japanese phenom flashing a temporary $700 million smile, media from around the world crowded Los Angeles on Thursday to hear him say how happy he was to now be part of the Dodgers. It is perhaps one of the greatest upsets the world of sports has seen to date, at least certainly in the history of major baseball on an international level.
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“It is with great humility that I see all of you here and I am happy, but I was told that there would only be media and I did not expect that there would be so many people,” Ohtani quickly agreed through his interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara to , which immediately caused laughter in the room.
![[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man](https://www.spamchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PHOTOS-Shohei-Ohtani-presented-to-the-media-Madness-in-Los.jpg "[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man 3")
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At this point, there was media… In addition to the army of journalists and numerous cameras on site, the press conference was broadcast live on the various major baseball platforms, including the league's website and the Dodgers' website.
“I met several teams during the process and there is no single reason that would explain my choice,” commented Ohtani, who thanked the Angels for giving him his first chance in major baseball. Honestly, I enjoyed getting to know the different clubs and it was a difficult decision, but I had to choose a team… I can't wait to join the Dodgers, they share the same passion as historically me and their vision, is about winning.”
![[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man](https://www.spamchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702738826_705_PHOTOS-Shohei-Ohtani-presented-to-the-media-Madness-in-Los.jpg "[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man 4")
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We know Ohtani chose the Dodgers over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Conquer the world
Because of Thursday's media frenzy, the craze surrounding Ohtani is difficult to quantify. Beyond the value of his incredible contract, it was reported on the major baseball website that the Japanese player's number 17 jersey completely broke the sales record in the 48 hours after the release of a sports jersey. Ohtani even more than doubled the previous brand, which belonged to soccer player Lionel Messi.
More than twice as much as Messi, that's an exaggeration!
![[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man](https://www.spamchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702738828_64_PHOTOS-Shohei-Ohtani-presented-to-the-media-Madness-in-Los.jpg "[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man 5")
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The sweater is obviously all the rage in California, but also in Japan, where Ohtani has become the most popular athlete in the last decade.
“One of our goals is to attract baseball fans in Japan to the Dodgers,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman admitted at a news conference Thursday. We want Shohei, along with his teammates, to help increase the passion for the sport and for the Dodgers throughout Japan.
![[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man](https://www.spamchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702738830_548_PHOTOS-Shohei-Ohtani-presented-to-the-media-Madness-in-Los.jpg "[PHOTOS] Shohei Ohtani presented to the media: Madness in Los Angeles for the 700 million dollar man 6")
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“The ownership group demonstrates once again that our commitment to winning is unmatched and the goal for the Dodgers organization is to be a premier destination throughout the league,” Friedman added.
How many championships?
The total amount of the record contract between Ohtani and the Dodgers, it should be remembered, is higher than that awarded in recent years to soccer players Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. When it comes to annual salary, which for Ohtani is $70 million, the big football stars remain in a world of their own, but the comparison with Mahomes – who earns $45 million per year in the NFL – shows clearly The extent to which the interest in Ohtani's case was unprecedented.
The big question is how many World Series victories the Dodgers will have during the team's 10-year tenure. Two? Three? Four?
“I can 100% confirm that the Dodgers organization and I share the same goal of organizing World Series parades in the streets of Los Angeles,” Ohtani said when reaching an agreement with the club.
Nevertheless, Mahomes, younger than Ohtani, has already won the Super Bowl twice. The Japanese, for his part, did not take part in the major baseball playoffs once in six years with his previous club, the Angels. It is certain that he will have more success with the rich Dodgers.
35 years after Gretzky
The other baseball team from the “City of Angels” is likely to have the Japanese with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman at the top of the offensive formation. They will logically form the leadership trio. Ohtani is considered a unique case in that he excels on both the mound and at bat, and will logically be limited to the role of hitter of choice next season. In September, he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right arm. It should be able to start again from 2025.
On August 9, 1988, there was said to be a shockwave when Wayne Gretzky left Edmonton for Los Angeles. Ohtani eventually caused even more international attention when he moved from the Angels to the Dodgers. Reliever Joe Kelly, who wore number 17 for the Dodgers last year, was only able to hand over his number when greeting the superstar.