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TOKYO — Now Shohei Ohtani he has money — a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers — some fans in Japan are waiting for one more thing to complete the deal.
“I want Ohtani to play in the World Series,” said Isshin Watanabe, a baseball fan speaking Sunday near Tokyo’s popular Ginza area. “That’s my hope.”
Baseball fans in Tokyo lined up Sunday to buy special editions of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, covering Ohtani’s trip to the city from the Angels to the Dodgers.
Japanese fans in the northeastern region of Iwate, where Ohtani grew up and went to high school, also celebrated by buying extra copies of the local newspaper, the Iwate Nippo.
“I have followed Ohtani since his high school years,” Aihisa Suzuki told Japanese news agency Kyodo. “I want to make him happy wherever he is.”
Kyodo reported that fans gathered at Ohtani’s high school, named Hanamaki Higashi, and took pictures of a monument showing his hand.
It may be the biggest contract in the history of sports, the highest level believed to have been made by soccer stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Ohtani’s contract is the largest in Major League Baseball history at over $250 million, more than the previous Angels. Mike Trout12 years, $426.5 million price. It also easily topped the $450 million contract signed by the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomeswhich at the time was the largest in North American professional sports history.
Ohtani’s $70 million average annual salary surpasses the previous MLB record of $43.3 million for Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer and that’s more than the 2023 Opening Day payrolls of the Baltimore Orioles ($60.9 million) and Oakland Athletics ($56.9 million).
One fan in Japan noted that Ohtani’s salary is more than the total player salary for at least one Japanese professional team, using the SoftBank Hawks of Fukuoka as an example.
“It seems like a dream,” said Yuto Manabe, also speaking in Ginza.
Ohtani, the American League MVP, is likely to play only this upcoming season as a designated hitter as he recovers from quadriceps surgery. hoping to keep him from getting punched.
“I think Ohtani will go back to second a year later,” Watanabe said. “I want him to be the king of the family next year.”
As of Sunday morning, the Dodgers have not announced the trade, which should make room for Ohtani on their 40-man roster.
Ohtani, 29, is a larger-than-life hero in Japan and the country’s most popular player. He has inspired the pride of the country by reaching the pinnacle of a sport that is beloved by many Americans and Latin Americans.
Japanese fans have long followed Ohtani through television and other media, but this move is sure to raise his profile even more among media and supporters focused on the Japanese market.
Ohtani, the first player in baseball history to be named unanimous MVP multiple times, is one of the most marketable players in the world, driving ticket sales, television revenue and sponsorship deals.
“I am very happy, I have been waiting for this announcement since yesterday,” said Sho Sato, who is a nurse.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.