"I already have your mom ready to go" - When Shohei Ohtani inspired Dodgers teammate Joe Kelly's wife to change her son's name
Joe Kelly's wife, Ashley, became a big part of the Los Angeles Dodgers push to get Shohei Ohtani in free agency last season. On Instagram, she started a campaign offering her husband's No. 17 to the superstar.
It was not just the number she was offering. Ashley also offered Ohtani every piece of gear that contained the No. 17 in the Kelly household. From shirts to altered jerseys, nothing was off-limits.
While he was getting ready to sign a big contract, Ashley could not help but offer Ohtani anything she could think of. She even had Ohtani's mom covered, offering him a Dodgers shirt with "Mama" on the back of it, via LA Times' Chuck Schilken.
"Plenty of different sizes in the 17 department. I mean, I already have your mom ready to go, so everything's good there," said Ashley.
Ashley did not stop at just offering Ohtani apparel. She took it a step further, jokingly changing their seven-month-old child's name from Kai to ShoKai, which is still in Ashley's Instagram bio.
It did not take the superstar long to make his decision after that campaign. Two days after Ashley posted her offerings, Ohtani signed his 10-year, $700 million megadeal with L.A.
Shohei Ohtani gifts Joe Kelly's wife a Porsche following offseason Dodgers' campaign
Joe Kelly, his wife, Ashley, and the rest of the Dodgers organization were plenty happy to hear they had signed the face of the sport. However, unknowingly to them, the Kelly family would have much more to be happy about.
Kelly was shocked when she saw a delivery driver approaching their residence with a car in tow. It was not just any car, it was a Porsche, and it now belonged to Ashley.
The Porsche was a gift from Shohei Ohtani himself. Ashley was more than shocked when she realized she was not dreaming and this was happening in real life.
To make this even better, this took place a few days before Christmas. While being the wife of an MLB player, I do not think she was expecting something this grand for Christmas.
This just goes to show the kind of person that Ohtani is. He likely could have done nothing and Joe Kelly and his family would have been happy just seeing him sign with L.A. However, he went above and beyond and certainly made Ashley feel special.