'Superstar' Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), who visited Korea under a brilliant spotlight, left Korea after completing the Major League Baseball (MLB) Seoul Series schedule.
Numerous fans flocked to Incheon International Airport in the early morning of the 22nd to see Otani leaving the country with his wife Mamiko Tanaka. Although it was possible to get a glimpse of Otani's immense popularity, he went through the departure procedures in a calm atmosphere, giving a light wave of his hand.
Perhaps because Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter who followed him like a shadow, was fired after the shocking truth of stealing Otani's money and gambling illegally was revealed, Otani showed quite cautious behavior on his last day in Korea. I refrained from contact with the media as much as possible and kept my mouth shut.
Otani was the ‘main character’ of this Seoul Series. After completing the season last year, he qualified as a free agent and received the highest treatment in the history of North American professional sports, with a 10-year contract and a total of $700 million, and wore a Dodgers uniform. The Seoul Series, the first major league regular season game held in Korea, was also the official debut stage for ‘Dodgersman’ Ohtani.
In addition, Otani announced his surprise marriage and revealed his wife Tanaka, making the coverage of him even hotter. Reporters from Korea, the United States, and Japan flocked to Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul like a cloud.
Ohtani also did not avoid attention toward himself until Game 1 of the Seoul Series on the 20th. Ohtani, who visited Korea 12 years after the 2012 World Youth Championships, expressed his excitement, saying, “Korea is one of my favorite countries,” and “I’m happy to be back in Korea.” He also sincerely answered questions from reporters in the clubhouse after the game.
However, he was different on the 21st, the last day of the Seoul series. This appears to have been influenced by foreign media reports that interpreter Mizuhira had recently dabbled in illegal gambling and had stolen Otani's funds in the process. The Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara and started to evolve, and manager Dave Roberts also consistently said 'no comment' when asked about this, trying to protect Ohtani and the team. Ohtani also disappeared until the game started. He came to the ground and warmed up with his teammates in the first game of the Seoul Series, but skipped it altogether in the second game. The clubhouse was open for 50 minutes during pre-game training, but Ohtani did not appear. Otani, who trained in a separate indoor space, participated in the final game of the Seoul Series. He even smiled faintly when introducing himself right before the game. As the number 2 designated hitter, he played until the end and recorded 1 hit in 5 at-bats, 1 RBI, and 1 run. He hit two balls close to the fence, but both were caught by the opposing outfielder. In the bottom of the 8th inning, trailing 11-12, he hit his final hit with a chance to tie the game with two outs and two on base, but it was only a hit. After the match, Ohtani fell silent again. Two Dodgers officials stood in front of his locker room in the clubhouse and blocked questions from reporters. After packing up his luggage, Otani got on the team bus. It was a contrast to the previous day when he was chatting cheerfully with reporters. Due to the 'interpretation incident' that was like a nuclear bomb, Otani had to be careful about his actions, and eventually left without even leaving a comment after finishing the Seoul Series. 사설토토