After authoring MLB's first 50-home run, 50-stolen base season and winning the National League MVP award in 2024, Shohei Ohtani has picked up right where he left off. In Tuesday's season-opening win over the Chicago Cubs, Ohtani rapped out two hits. On Wednesday, after narrowly missing a home run in his first at-bat of the game, Ohtani belted a solo homer in the top of the fifth inning to give the Dodgers a 6-2 lead.
So, the Cubs, seeing firsthand the damage Ohtani had already done, decided to take no chances. Chicago intentionally walked Ohtani in his fourth plate appearance of the game in the top of the seventh inning—and the fans at the Tokyo Dome were not happy.
On the one hand, one can hardly get mad at the Cubs for not wanting to pitch to Ohtani, a three-time MVP and arguably the best baseball player on the planet. On the other hand, it was a perfectly understandable reaction from the fans in Japan, who have enjoyed every bit of the show that the Dodgers star has put on in his return to his native country.
