It seems Toronto Blue Jays fans haven’t forgiven Shohei Ohtani.
Nearly two years after the Los Angeles Dodgers star rejected the Blue Jays and signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with his current team, Ohtani returned to Toronto on Friday evening and the home fans let him have it.
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Shohei Ohtani saw the bright side of the chants directed at himCredit: GETTY
The Blue Jays blew away the Dodgers in the first game of the 2025 World Series as they stormed to an 11-4 win.
The packed crowd in Toronto’s Rogers Centre were witnessing their first World Series game in Canada since 1993, and they enjoyed every bit of it.
Not least when they booed Ohtani loudly during the pregame introductions.
During the game, the fans then chanted “We don’t need you!” while he batted in the ninth inning.
It seems Blue Jays fans haven’t forgotten Dec. 4, 2023, when Ohtani met with Toronto officials at the team’s training complex in Florida.
The meeting famously did nothing to sway Ohtani’s mind as he eventually decided to pick the Dodgers, where he penned a stunning $700 million deal.
Toronto’s John Schneider on Ohtani chants
Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who joked before the game that Ohtani should return the gifts he got from the franchise during the meeting, reacted to the chants by the home crowd.
“I love energetic fan bases,” Schneider began.
“It happens in different ways and shapes and forms, I kind of heard it [Ohtani chants], but it’s tough to talk about a player like that, he’s special.
“I’m glad the home run he hit came when it came, when we had a little bit of a cushion. I love that our fans are passionate about our team.”
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In the end, the Blue Jays took control of the World Series with their winCredit: GETTY
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John Schneider had to address the chants as they went viral during the gameCredit: GETTYVladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani share a hilarious moment
One clip that went viral during the game was the interaction between Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
It came during a close pickoff play at first base towards the end of the game.
Ohtani was running to first base and was ruled out by the umpires, but the Blue Jays challenged the call, believing he was safe.
Amid the review, the Toronto chants of “We don’t want you!” got louder, and Ohtani and Guerrero exchanged some words before laughing it out.
It looked like Ohtani knew he was safe as he laughed with Guerrero, as the Blue Jays’ challenge was successful and the Dodgers star was kept on base.
Fans online seemed to love the interaction as two of the sport’s biggest stars enjoyed a funny moment together on the biggest stage.
“Baseball is awesome, man,” one fan wrote on X.
One fan claimed he had figured out what Ohtani was saying, writing on X: “Jays fans were chanting loudly, ‘We don’t need you,’ and Ohtani responded by telling Vlad at first base, ‘They don’t want me!’ Then both started laughing together.”
“This is so funny, man, but I read his lips as ‘I didn’t screw up’. Lol,” another fan wrote.
The World Series continues with Game 2 on Saturday, October 25.
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