Ohtani: ‘Never experienced anything like’ recruitment chant in Seattle

Shohei Ohtani is impressed with the passion of Seattle Mariners fans after the Los Angeles Angels superstar and impending free agent was courted with a chant at T-Mobile Park during Tuesday’s All-Star Game:

“I’ve never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it,” Ohtani said postgame through his interpreter, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “I was just trying to focus on my at-bat and the game. … Every time I come here, the fans are passionate, they’re really into the game. So, it’s very impressive.”

The 29-year-old has enjoyed extended stays in the Pacific Northwest during his MLB career.

“I’ve actually spent about two offseasons in Seattle, a total of four months maybe,” Ohtani said Monday. “And I felt like it’s a very nice city. I really liked it.”

Ohtani is the favorite to win his second AL MVP award in the last three years thanks to a monster first half that saw him go deep an MLB-high 32 times and with a 1.050 OPS. On the mound, the three-time All-Star posted a 3.32 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 100 1/3 innings (17 starts). He’s expected to land the largest deal in major-league history when he likely enters free agency.

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