"A little different story" - Shohei Ohtani says facing the Angels in Anaheim would hit different as compared to spring training clash

Shohei Ohtani finally went up against his former side for the first time since making his blockbuster move to the Dodgers this past winter. LA faced the Angles on Tuesday night in their latest Cactus League clash at the Camelback Ranch. The Angels in red triumphed over the Dodger Blue by 4-0 in a game wherein Shotime went 0-3 till the sixth inning, after which he was replaced by pinch hitter Trey Sweeney.

In a game riding on a lot of emotions for Shohei Ohtani, he embraced his former Angels teammate Mike Trout 15 minutes before the first picture of the match. He then went on to meet with other former teammates and get pictures clicked with them as well. Both Ohtani and Trout conversed for a while before Shohei jogged back to his dugout for the start of the match.

"A lot of the boys were here today. So I got to catch up with most of them." - Ohtani via his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara

"I just congratulated him on everything and all the stuff that happened over the winter -- the marriage, the contract, just all the things that happened. We were friends, and he was a great teammate. And now we’re just on different teams." - Mike Trout on revealing the conversation that he had with Shohei before the game

Shohei Ohtani, for his part, claimed:

"It didn’t really feel too weird or uncomfortable because it kind of is what it is. If I was playing at the Angels’ home, it might have been a little different story." - Shohei Ohtani

Furthermore, when asked whether the Halos fans gave him a hard time after signing with the Dodgers, Shotime replied by stating that they showcased his full support, showered him with love, and congratulated him on his blockbuster move to the LA Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani is all set to play back-to-back games for the first time with the Dodgers this spring

Prior to the Seoul Series, Shohei Ohtani stated that he hoped to have about fifty at-bats. These at-bats would be a mix of Cactus League games, simulated at-bats in the hitting lab, and live batting practice.

It seems like Shohei Ohtani is exactly where he wants to be right now. It will be his first time playing on back-to-back days this spring for the LA Dodgers. He will get another opportunity at three at-bats on Wednesday against the White Sox.

He said:

"Just looking at the whole schedule and the whole balance I felt like it was good thing to go back-to-back. I think we can say the hitting part of the rehab is over officially. Now I just need to get more at-bats, have quality at-bats, be able to see the ball and get my timing down."