The Los Angeles Dodgers presented Shohei Ohtani, who will wear jersey number 17

A couple of days ago, the suspense about the team for the next season of the Major League Baseball (MLB) of Shohei Ohtani ended, this by signing with Los Angeles Dodgers a 10-year contract for the historic figure of $700 million dollars.

The Dodgers officially presented the Japanese player in the Dodger Stadium in a press conference, four days after confirming his contract with the franchise.

At the press conference they showed that the Japanese will wear jersey number 17, as he used to wear in his previous team. Los Angeles Angels. Previously that number was Joe Kellywho did not hesitate to give the number to his new teammate.

“I can’t wait to join the Dodgers. “They share the same vision as me,” he said. Shohei Ohtani during its official presentation. At the press conference, the Japanese reiterated his gratitude to each member of the team who was involved in the process.

The Japanese player confessed that the decision to stay with the Dodgers He took it the night before the announcement he posted on his social media account. instagram. “I want to win championships,” he told the journalists present.

Shohei Ohtani He assured that he will be ready as a designated hitter for the start of the 2024 season.

He added that he wanted a clause in his contract that the team owner Mark Walter and the president Andrew Friedman stay for the 10 years that their agreement lasts, this ensures that everyone is on the same page in what he called a “kind of safety net.”

Ohtani’s final decision came after rumors

The Japanese superstar decided to stay in Southern California to join the lineup of the team that reached the 2023 postseason and share a locker room with other “MVPs” like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

This final decision was announced by Ohtani on their social networks. The first thing she wrote in the post was an apology for taking so much time to show his choice, a fairly typical Asian gesture.

Later, he thanked Los Angeles Angels by ensuring that the six years he spent in that franchise will always be in his heart.

“To all Dodger fans, I promise to always do what is best for the team and always continue to give everything to be the best version of myself,” he wrote. Ohtaniwho won his second unanimous prize from Most valuable Player (MVP) of the American League with the Angels.

Ohtani batted .304, with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs last season, while setting a record as a starting pitcher for 10-5, 3.14 earned runs and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched.

It should be noted that one of the cons that the Dodgers with the acquisition of Ohtani is that he will not be able to serve as a pitcher for much of the 2024 season due to tommy john surgery to which he was subjected in the last weeks of the regular campaign. However, the Japanese will have many more years to demonstrate his skill as a pitcher.

Keep reading:

• The bombshell of the century: Shohei Ohtani chooses the Dodgers with a contract of $700 million dollars
• More details of Shohei Ohtani’s super contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers revealed
• Dodgers trade players with Yankees to make room for Shohei Ohtani