The city of Los Angeles feted their newest superstar on Friday, the City Council proclaiming May 17 “Shohei Ohtani Day” in honor of the Dodgers’ Japanese slugger.
In a ceremony at City Hall, council president Paul Krekorian hailed the Dodgers’ acquisition of Ohtani in a record-breaking $700 million deal.
“It was an enormous moment for this city earlier this year when the Dodgers were successful in completing the most important free agent acquisition, probably in baseball history, when they signed an athlete who has achieved things in professional baseball that no one has achieved since Babe Ruth,” Krekorian said.
Krekorian added that Ohtani’s move north to LA proper from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was another way of deepening Los Angeles’ ties to Japan.
Ohtani himself called the proclamation an “incredible honor.”
“I also want to really thank the Dodgers organization for their continued support, as well as to the entire people in the city of LA,” said Ohtani, whose first season with the Dodgers began under a cloud after revelations that his long-time interpreter had stolen nearly $17 million from him to pay off gambling debts to an illegal bookmaker.
Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and close friend, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of bank fraud and filing a false tax return in the case, in which Ohtani has been described by authorities as the victim.
However, the off-field news hasn’t all been bad for Ohtani, who confirmed as the season started he had married Mamiko Tanaka, a former Japanese professional basketball player.
On Friday, members of the Dodgers front office and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were in attendance as council members, many clad in Dodger blue, presented Ohtani with a framed version of the Ohtani Day proclamation.
Ohtani, a two-time American League Most Valuable Player with the Angels, last month broke the record set by former Yankees great Hideki Matsui for most home runs by a Japanese player in Major League Baseball history.
