Shohei Ohtani had a surprise from fans on Tuesday night. While Ohtani was at bat, a group of supporters held up a placard that said, "Come To Texas," as the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.
The crowd began to chant the words, as seen in the video below:
Los Angeles (59-62), in the hopes of making a postseason run, kept two-way star Ohtani, who is eligible to become a free agent this summer. It hasn't gone to plan, as they are 3-11 in August and three games under .500. They are three teams and eight games behind the last wild card berth in the American League.
Shohei Ohtani's pursuit of the Triple Crown
Shohei Ohtani is in the hunt for personal accolades as the 2023 season continues, in addition to the Angels' first postseason berth since 2014. His chances of winning his second American League MVP Award in three years are astronomically high.
He also has a chance to break Aaron Judge's recent AL record of 62 home runs.
In the last 56 seasons, only two players, including Ohtani, have led the AL or NL in batting average, home runs, and RBIs in the same season.
Ohtani has been widely praised for his prowess as a pitcher and hitter, and he has been compared to two-way performers like Babe Ruth and Bullet Rogan.
Ohtani, who was regarded early on as a premier two-way player, was selected first overall by the Fighters in the 2012 draft. He was an outfielder and pitcher with the Fighters in the NPB from 2013 to 2017, where he helped them win the 2016 Japan Series.
With Shohei Ohtani's future with the Angels very much in doubt, we will see if heeds the chants of the Rangers' faithful and surprises everyone by going to Texas.