Shohei Ohtani will play his first game in Toronto on Friday since opting to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of the Blue Jays.
The two-way superstar had played the previous six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and was the unanimous choice as American League MVP last season before entering free agency.
The Dodgers were the early favourites to land Ohtani, but some analysts had Toronto emerging as a strong contender after the Japanese star reportedly visited the Blue Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., in December.
Speculation that Ohtani was Toronto-bound hit new heights on Dec. 8 after a report from Dodgersnation.com indicated he chose to sign with the Jays. An MLB.com reporter then stated he was on his way to Toronto.
Social media users tracked what they thought could be the star’s flight to Toronto, only for the CBC to report that the individual aboard the private jet was Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den star Robert Herjavec.
Ohtani announced on Dec. 9 that he would sign with the Dodgers, who handed him a record 10-year, US$700 million contract.