Inside Shohei Ohtani’s loud return to Rogers Centre

TORONTO — It's 4:23 p.m. ET on what is unofficially Shohei Ohtani Day at Rogers Centre and the man himself is entrenched in his routine.

Wearing a black bandana, a blue hoodie and matching shorts, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is sitting on a stool in the batting tunnel just outside the visitors' locker room. 

Ohtani is intently watching some of his teammates take their swings but he's not planning to get any cuts of his own right now, evidenced by the flip-flops on his feet. After a few minutes and some conversation with other Dodgers hitters, Ohtani gets up and heads down the hallway making sure to greet a group of Japanese media members congregated around the locker-room entrance. 

Ohtani's steadfast routine makes him a difficult player to cover, according to some reporters from Japan. He's so tied up with his work that he rarely makes time for media. However, that's slowly begun to change since the scandal involving his longtime friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers amid allegations he stole $16 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. 

Mizuhara was something akin to a shepherd for Ohtani and since he's been gone, the 29-year-old has been forced to venture out on his own. That's something Ohtani's actually embraced — Japanese media says he's loosened up a bit and is becoming more open toward them while making a genuine effort to connect. 

That's not the case right now, though. Routine takes precedence, of course, and Ohtani doesn't have time to chat with the media before the 7:07 p.m. contest. He disappears into the clubhouse and won't be seen until game time, as the star rarely, if ever, takes on-field batting practice. 

***

Ohtani is baseball's version of a rockstar. When the Dodgers visit different stadiums across MLB, he generates Swiftian-level interest. 

A by-product is that his Dodgers teammates are constantly fielding questions about Ohtani everywhere they go. 

"There's nothing more to say about him," says Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts with a smile. "I mean, there's only so many compliments you can give someone. And so, I'm out of them now because he's playing a different game than everyone else. Glad he's on our team."

Adds Dodgers left-hander James Paxton: "He's just a dude that's really good at baseball."

***

Friday was a day circled on the calendar by many Blue Jays fans. It marked the first time Ohtani would play in Toronto since the Blue Jays' ill-fated pursuit of the two-way star. 

By now, you know the story: the Blue Jays were among the frontrunners for the free agent, who visited the organization's spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., in December. Then, there was a false report of Ohtani boarding a flight to Toronto just before he signed with the Dodgers, a move that left Blue Jays fans sour, with some speculating he used the Blue Jays to drive up his record $700-million contract.

"That's not something that Shohei brought on himself as far as spurning the city of Toronto, which he didn't do," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.  

Nonetheless, it was clear Toronto fans still feel that way and they made their voices heard immediately on Friday. When Ohtani was announced as the No. 2 hitter in the Dodgers' starting lineup, fans belted out a chorus of boos. 

Minutes later, when the designated hitter stepped to the plate in the first inning, he was met with even louder displeasure by the sellout crowd of 39,688. 

Ohtani is among the most gifted athletes to ever play baseball and it appears that he's got the moxie to match. He took the first two pitches from Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt before launching an 83.2-m.p.h. slider over the right-field fence and into the visitors' bullpen to put the Dodgers up 1-0. 

It was conduct befitting a villain and the home crowd acknowledged that, upping the decibels of their boos. Ohtani was stonefaced as he rounded the bases, only letting out a smile when he reached his teammates in the visitors' dugout.

"(I was) looking forward to just being able to have my first at-bat in front of a large crowd," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, adding that he wasn't surprised by the boos.

"After he homered, the guys in the dugout booed him as well," Roberts said with a laugh. "So, that was pretty funny. And he got a big kick out of that. But I don't think it's a motivator (for Ohtani). I think that he just compartmentalizes really well." 

***

Blue Jays fans did cheer for Ohtani at one point — when he was backed off the plate by an up-and-in cutter from Bassitt in his second at-bat. Other than that, though, the boos continued throughout the night ahead of each of Ohtani’s five plate appearances.

In addition to the homer — Ohtani's seventh of the season — the left-handed hitter drew a walk and scored another run as the Dodgers routed the Blue Jays 12-2. He sports a 1.100 OPS that looks like video-game numbers when compared to anyone in the Blue Jays lineup. As well, Ohtani now has four homers and 11 RBIs in 14 career games at Rogers Centre. 

And while Ohtani clearly got the last laugh on Friday, he didn't view it as such, opting to take the high road by complimenting the home crowd.

"I really do feel that the fans here are passionate," said Ohtani. "And when they are, that's the kind of reception that they will probably (give). So, I'm just very grateful and respectful that the fans here are passionate just as much as the Dodger fans are with us.

"Aside from how the fans may or may not think, I'm just very, very grateful for the teams that approached me and wanted to sign me," he added. "And, as I said in my (initial Dodgers) press conference, ultimately, I could only choose one team."