Shohei Ohtani, Scheduled to Arrive in Korea on the 15th
Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), who will participate in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) opening game held next week at Gocheok Dome in Seoul, greeted Korean fans by sending a 'finger heart.'
On the 13th, Ohtani, wearing a Dodgers uniform, posted a photo on his Instagram account showing a bright smile and making a finger heart pose. The photo also included a Taegukgi emoji. This appears to be a greeting to the Korean fans he will soon meet.
Netizens who saw the photo responded with comments such as "A baseball player with good character," "There is nothing to criticize about Ohtani," and "In soccer, it's Son Heung-min; in baseball, it's Ohtani. The pride of Asia."
The LA Dodgers, Ohtani's team, will play against the San Diego Padres in the 2024 MLB World Tour Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 20th and 21st. This is the first MLB regular-season game held in Korea. Due to this, Ohtani is scheduled to arrive in Korea on the 15th.
Ohtani is a superstar representing MLB, having come from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan and entering the big leagues in 2018. He won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year award in 2018 and was unanimously named the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both 2021 and 2023.
Ohtani's career MLB statistics include 86 games as a pitcher with 38 wins, 19 losses, and a 3.01 ERA, and 716 games as a batter with a .274 batting average, 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, 428 runs scored, and 86 stolen bases.
Having signed a staggering 10-year, $700 million contract (approximately 920 billion KRW) with the Dodgers, Ohtani showed a preview of his strong performance in the spring training with a batting average of .579 (11 hits in 19 at-bats), 2 home runs, and 9 RBIs.
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