"I got to catch up with most of them" - Shohei Ohtani shares his thoughts on playing against the Angels for the first time

Shohei Ohtani had three plate appearances in Tuesday's game against his formal team, the LA Angels, at Camelback Ranch. The two-way star who was playing DH went 0-3, before being replaced by Trey Sweeney.

This game allowed Ohtani to meet the boys after he left the Angels in free agency last year.

"We had a lot of boys here today, so we got to catch up with most of them," Ohtani said through his interpreter. "More than after I signed, I was thinking about the Angels during the whole free agency before I signed because they were in my mind and once I signed it was a done deal so I felt like we needed to turn the page and focus on the season with the Dodgers."

Ohtani also mentioned that he received greetings from the Angels club after the game. On being asked if he was given a hard time leaving the club, Ohtani said:

"They didn't really give me a hard time. It was a lot of congratulations and they were happy for me."

Ohtani also added that he no longer feels weird playing against the Angels.

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Shohei Ohtani on his Spring Training with the Dodgers ahead of Seoul Series

Shohei Ohtani further talked about his spring training and how he is adjusting to the new season with only eight games left of the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres on March 20.

"It's been a while since I've been a nighter, but it's a different way of looking at it. So I want to be able to do that as well," Ohtani said through the interpreter. "I think the quality of the at bats is improving as well. The last one was a little disappointing, but I think I'll be able to play a little bit more."

He added:

"That was the first night game in a while, so I kind of get used to seeing with my eyes still at night games, but I should be there. My last at bat felt pretty good. I got jammed a little bit, but overall my quality, I'm pretty satisfied with the quality and the results of my at bats so far."

Ohtani informed reporters that he will be playing tomorrow against the White Sox and is striving to get his timing right and have quality at-bats before Opening Day hits.

The Japanese two-way star underwent a Tommy John surgery in September 2023. He is not expected to pitch all season and will probably be the designated hitter for the team.