Shohei Ohtani’s introductory press conference with the Dodgers was held on Thursday after the 29-year-old inked a 10-year, $700 million deal to sign for Los Angeles.
After the press conference, Ohtani was interviewed by SportsNet Los Angeles, during which he was asked about the plane tracking saga that occurred during the height of the frenzy surrounding his free agency.
Regarding that debacle, Ohtani admitted he was made aware of the situation on Friday after several people reached out. He said was just at home and chilling with his dog while the rumors began to circulate.
“I didn’t see the news itself, but people kept on asking me, ‘Are you flying to Toronto right now?' So I was aware of that whole situation but I was on my couch with the dog at that time,” Ohtani said, speaking through his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
.@kirsten_watson chats with Shohei Ohtani about his decision to join the Dodgers and playing alongside Mookie & Freddie. pic.twitter.com/lsbnJfHG5P
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) December 15, 2023
Erroneous reports emerged on Dec. 8 that Ohtani had elected to sign with the Blue Jays and was flying to Toronto via private jet in order to finalize the deal. In reality, he was at home in Southern California, putting the final touches on his contract with the Dodgers.
As it turns out, fans and reporters who were tracking the jet from John Wayne Airport to Toronto were actually tracking the movement of Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec, best known for his role on Shark Tank.
Ohtani announced he would be signing with the Dodgers on Dec. 10 in an Instagram post, putting a quick end to all of the speculation.
While his free agency, particularly the flight tracking frenzy, captured the attention of the baseball world, Ohtani revealed he was laying low at home, spending quality time with his beloved dog, Decoy.
