Seattle Mariners fans react to T-Mobile Park recruiting Shohei Ohtani with loud ‘Come to Seattle!’ chant during All-Star Game: "It’s gonna happen!"
Seattle Mariners fans made their feelings perfectly clear regarding Shohei Ohtani at the MLB All-Star Game.
When the Los Angeles Angels' do-it-all superstar headed to the plate for his first at-bat as the American League designated hitter, T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners, sounded out in a stadium-wide "Come to Seattle!" chant.
Ohtani is an impending free agent at the end of this season and appears likely to be leaving the Angels either on the open market this winter or via a trade later this month.
There is a stadium-wide chant directed at Shohei Ohtani: “Come to Seattle!”
The Seattle Mariners are not considered a front-runner to land Shohei Ohtani, but that's not stopping fans of the team from hoping that the pitching/hitting phenom decides to make the Pacific Northwest his next port of call.
@JeffPassan Mariner fans understood the assignment
@JeffPassan It's gonna happen! https://t.co/4UL5z4d60Q
@JeffPassan HE IS COMING
Shohei Ohtani made headlines during the All-Star workout day Monday by saying that he is getting tired of playing for a losing team. The six-year MLB veteran made his feelings known through his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, who announced the superstar pitcher/hitter's thoughts:
"It sucks to lose. He wants to win, so it gets stronger every year."
That statement might not bode well for the Seattle Mariners, who have just one playoff appearance since 2001.
@JeffPassan Too broke for him
@JeffPassan So he can lose there too ?
@JeffPassan M’s owner John Stanton “I can’t afford it, sorry. But we made stadium improvements & bought a the old restaurant across the street & made it into a ballpark bar”
Shohei Ohtani entered the All-Star break as MLB's leading hitter in several categories. Hitting a career-best .302, he leads the majors with 32 home runs, a .663 slugging percentage, a 1.050 on-base plus slugging percentage and six triples.
Playing in his third consecutive All-Star Game, Ohtani is also 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.096 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 17 starts this season.
Ohtani is the leading candidate to win the American League Most Valuable Player award this season. Should he win, it would be the second time in three seasons that he has claimed the honor. He also won the AL Rookie of the Year award in his debut MLB season in 2018.
While the Seattle Mariners are putting their season together after a slow start, many feel that the allure of the Los Angeles Dodgers will be too much for Ohtani to resist.
@JeffPassan Sorry guys https://t.co/ZluRq1bJsX
@JeffPassan I think Seattle is a dark horse honestly, been saying that for a minute but Dodgers are the favs.
@JeffPassan Nothing good happens in Seattle 🙏 https://t.co/ti49ajBWRy
@JeffPassan They are sooo jealous. It is pathetic. Shohei is an Angel get over it.
Could the Seattle Mariners land Shohei Ohtani?
Stranger things have happened, but Ohtani is not likely heading to the Mariners.
Seattle has not been known to spend lavishly on free agency, as say, the New York Mets. Also, the Mariners do not exactly have a track record of being a consistently successful organization.
But, never say never.