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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani responds to 'we don't need you' taunts from Blue Jays fans
Photo credit: https://www.mlb.com/
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani knew what Toronto Blue Jays fans were chanting in Game 1 at the Rogers Centre, and he's taking it all in stride.
The Toronto faithful, still mindful of his free-agency decision two winters ago, made their feelings clear with chants of «We don't need you!» each time he stepped to the plate.
Shohei Ohtani responds to Blue Jays fans jeers and chants of 'We don't need you'.
«It was a really great chant, and my wife really appreciated it,» he said with a grin, speaking through interpreter Will Ireton.
World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium is going to be a classic.
Toronto was among the most aggressive suitors for Ohtani before he ultimately signed a 10-year contract with the Dodgers.
That history gave the home crowd plenty of fuel, and they wasted no time unleashing it.
The chants first rang out in the ninth inning of Game 1, when Ohtani drew a walk against reliever Eric Lauer before Mookie Betts struck out to end the contest. The jeers returned during his first at-bat in Game 2.
Blue Jays faithful with the "We don't need you" chant to Shohei Ohtani
Fans also greeted Ohtani with a chorus of boos during pregame introductions on Friday night.
Television cameras caught the two-way superstar laughing as the noise cascaded down from the stands.
If the intent was to rattle him, it didn't work. Ohtani launched his first career World Series home run in Game 1, a bright spot in a lopsided 11-4 loss to the Blue Jays for Los Angeles.
In Game 2, he went 1-for-4 with a run scored as the Dodgers bounced back with a 5-1 victory to even the series at one game apiece.
With the series now shifting to Los Angeles for three games, the Blue Jays must contain Ohtani's potent bat but also solve him on the mound.
The 31-year-old is expected to make his long-awaited World Series pitching debut.
It will be his first start since his historic outing in the National League Championship Series, where he delivered a pennant-clinching performance to eliminate the Milwaukee Brewers in four games.
For Toronto fans, the chants may have been cathartic. For Ohtani, they were little more than background noise.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 27 | 444 ANSWERS Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani responds to 'we don't need you' taunts from Blue Jays fans Do you think Shohei Ohtani will be a factor for the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series? | ||
| Yes | 287 | 64.6 % |
| No | 157 | 35.4 % |
| List of polls | ||