“It Was Kind of Weird, Awkward”: Shohei Ohtani Was Once Booed in Seattle Long Before Receiving the Reception of His Life

In the sports world, scenarios change faster. With the evolving game situations, fans’ emotions also got changed. Most players go through these evolving situations where fans reveal the two extreme sides of them- heartfelt support or brutal hate. During his 5 years of MLB Career, Shohei Ohtani has witnessed these two extreme sides of MLB fans. Despite his turbulent 2023 MLB journey, the star player encountered a rapid change in the Seattle Mariners fans, who once booed him as a rookie.

The 2023 season was poor for The Los Angeles Angels. But, even in this situation, the Sho-time changed the Mariners’ fans’ impression of him. Earlier this ongoing season unfurled a dramatic change in the Mariners’ ballpark that surprised the MLB world, including Ontani.

2019 to 2023- Shohei Ohtani Has Established His Dominance Among Mariners’ Fans

After his 2018 debut, the Mariners’ fans bullied the 29-year-old Angels player when the teams faced each other in the 2019 majors. The reason was quite apparent- as Jeff Fletcher reported on page number 82 of his Sho-Time: The Inside Story of Shohei Ohtani, “the Mariners fans took much more pleasure out of the time Ohtani struck out. Ohtani had spurned the Mariners back in December, and the fans let Ohtani know they remembered.” So, this face-off was not a pleasant experience for Ohtani as the rival fans started booing at him.

However, that was probably the first time 21st-century Babe Ruth witnessed that treatment from fans. So, he expressed, “I’m not really used to being booed. It was kind of weird, awkward.” However, within the next 4 years, the Two-Way Phenom established its dominance in the MLB world. It helped the Mariners’ fans realize this Japanese star’s worth. Interestingly, after the 2023 free agency of Ohtani was confirmed, the scenario changed rapidly.

Read More: What’s the Japan Connection Between Los Angeles Dodgers Manager and Shohei Ohtani?

During a match at T-Mobile Park in July, the entire Mariners’ crowd offered Ohtani to come to Seattle. “Come to Se-at-tle!” the crowd roared when the Two-Way Phenom was at-bat. Fans repeated this chant several times during the game. Post-game, the reporters captured the player’s expression. About this experience, Ohtani revealed, “I’ve never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it.”  However, Ohtani is not the only one who experienced this drastic change in fan emotions this season. Carlos Correa also encountered the same but in a little twisted way.

The Houston Astros Fans Booed Carlos Correa

Carlos Correa was a celebrated Astros player with his significant contribution to the 2017 World Series winning. But the 2023 season proved fans forgot everything as soon as he left the team and joined The Minnesota Twins. The rival fans harshly booed the player during the ALDS fight between the Twins and the Astros. However, Correa took it positively. For him, it was the fans’ way of supporting their team.

These two incidents highlight how fan opinions can shift between positive and negative, depending on player performance and team association.

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