LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 8, 2024: Dodgers Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka sit in the stands to watch the Lakers play the Portland Trailblazers at Crypto.com Arena on December 8, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers took World Series Game 2 from the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday and will return home with a chance to grab pole position toward the championship.
But it was made clear in the first game that the Toronto Blue Jays won’t be intimidated by the Dodgers’ juggernaut payroll or its star-studded roster. That was apparent as the Blue Jays’ offense put up 11 runs in the first game. And it was emphasized by their fans during that game, as they greeted the Dodgers’ best player Shohei Ohtani by chanting “we don’t need you.”
The fans were referring to Ohtani’s recent free agency, which came down to a choice between the Blue Jays and Dodgers. Though Ohtani picked the Dodgers, Blue Jays fans wanted him to know they are unbothered.
Following the game, Ohtani indicated that he heard them loud and clear.
“I thought it was great,” Ohtani said of the fan taunts, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. “I just try to make sure I don’t hear the same kind of chants at home that I heard in Toronto.”
Ohtani seemed to take the jeers in good humor, but he also revealed that his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, added to the ribbing with a brutal taunt of her own.
“My wife loves that chant so she teased me a little about it,” Ohtani said, per Plunkett, adding that he hopes she doesn’t bring the jeer into their home.
The taunt, which was accompanied by some boos as well, did not seem to phase Ohtani during the game. He hit a two-run homer and seemed to find his wife’s reaction to be as humorous as it was harsh in his postgame comments. Ohtani was mired in a notable slump for most of the playoffs before a historic three-homer game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
“I do feel better at the plate recently,” Ohtani said in his postgame comments after the first World Series matchup, Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reported. “I do everything in my power to make sure that I’m prepared as much as possible and being at the plate with the right mentality, but got to give some credit to the other side as well.”
With the series now moving to Los Angeles, Ohtani can expect a much more gracious fan reception the next time he steps up to the plate.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/10/27/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-reveals-wifes-brutal-reaction-to-blue-jays-world-series-taunts/
