Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani praises Yankee Stadium: "Beautiful field. Passionate fans"

Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani spoke highly of playing at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Ohtani was in a good mood after his Los Angeles Angels defeated the New York Yankees 5-2.

The Angels pitcher/designated hitter put the visitors on the board for good with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. He drew first blood in the battle of the last two American League Most Valuable Players with the round-tripper. The blast sailed 391 feet into the right-center field bullpen over Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge's head.

"Beautiful field. Passionate fans." - Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani on Yankee Stadium, via The Athletic's Chris Kirschner

That Shohei Ohtani, via his interpreter, said that Yankee Stadium has a "beautiful field" with passionate fans is giving New Yorkers a soft landing after their team's three-run loss to the Japanese superstar's squad on Tuesday.

The reason? Ohtani is headed toward free agency this offseason. The prospective pursuit of arguably the most enthralling player in the game today is one of the most compelling stories in baseball history. The superstar remains absolutely mute on his preferences on where he wishes to play next season.

The presumptive notion, however, is that Ohtani will not be returning to the Angels next season. His manager, Phil Nevin, told the New York Post:

“I don’t want to think about it. He’s ours right now. He’s a great teammate and player. We’re lucky to have him and hopefully we have him for a long time."

But when pressed, Nevin — who was on Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s coaching staff for four seasons from 2018-21 — confided in the Post that Ohtani could handle the pressure-packed New York sports scene:

"The best way I could put it is that he would thrive anywhere. Even with the off-field stuff, the endorsements, he’d be fine. It’s not gonna bother him whether he’s in a big market or small market. Seeing him on the kind of stage like we expect to be on now wouldn’t affect him at all."

Shohei Ohtani bidding could hit, surpass $500 million

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels looks on during batting practice

It has been suggested that Ohtani could become MLB's first $500 million man this coming offseason. However, if he produces another MVP season in 2023, it's possible that number could go even higher. That would whittle his list of prospective suitors down to very few.