Watch: Shohei Ohtani acknowledges Angels fans' rousing reception on Anaheim return

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels in free agency after the 2023 season. He played six successful seasons with the Angels and won two AL MVP honors along the way.

On Tuesday, Ohtani returned to his old playyard, the Angel Stadium, and Angels fans acknowledged him with a rousing reception when he took the batter's box. The video board also showed a 90-second tribute to Ohtani's services over the years. Following the completion of it, Ohtani acknowledged the tribute and the support of Angels fans as he tipped off his helmet.

The reaction only got louder when he got struck out swinging, though. Nevertheless, Angels fans were happy to see him.

Tuesday's game against the Angels marks the end of the Dodgers' Spring Training schedule. They will face the St. Louis Cardinals next on Opening Day on March 28.

Shohei Ohtani denies involvement in betting allegations against former interpreter

Shohei Ohtani and the betting allegations surrounding his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara have become the center of attraction of the MLB world. On Monday, the Dodgers star came forward and denied his involvement in the betting allegations:

“All of this has been a complete lie,” Ohtani said via interpreter Wile Ireton. “Ippei obviously basically didn’t tell me about the media inquiry. So Ippei has been telling everyone around that he has been communicating with me on this account to the media and my team and that hasn’t been true.”

Ohtani also mentioned that he has never partook in gambling of any sort. He said he was shocked when he heard first about it:

“[I am] beyond shocked, it’s hard to verbalise how I am feeling at this point,” he said. “I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf and I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports, and was never asked to assist betting payments for anyone else.”

Finally, he cleared the air on the theft allegations, saying his interpreter was stealing money from him:

“Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” Ohtani said.

Ippei Mizuhara is currently under criminal investigation after Shohei Ohtani's attorney claimed that the Dodgers' star was a victim of a "massive theft."

The MLB has also launched an official investigation to look into the allegations made against the interpreter.

It remains to be seen what's more to come from the findings of the investigation.