Revisiting FlightGate, the social phenomenon that took Blue Jays fans on a wild ride

They booed when he was announced. They cheered when he struck out. They chanted a very personal, but perhaps cathartic phrase, "we don't need you," late in a triumphant Game 1 win. All of it directed at superstar Shohei Ohtani — the greatest player in the game today, and arguably ever.

However, his greatness didn't supersede the emotion and vitriol many Toronto Blue Jays fans have for the two-way Japanese sensation, mostly thanks to something that was beyond his control. For a lot fans, Ohtani shouldn be wearing Blue Jays colors instead of Dodger Blue. But he's not, and in Game 1 of the World Series in Toronto on Friday night, the fans vented the frustrations they have been feeling since that bizarre and fateful day in December of 2023.

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Revisiting FlightGate: Have Blue Jays fans moved on from Shohei Ohtani heartbreak?

The Blue Jays ended the 2023 season in frustrating fashion, with a two-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card round. There was also frustration emanating from the way in which Game 2 of that series concluded, when manager John Schneider removed starting pitcher José Berrios early despite Berrios pitching well.

A few weeks later, it was revealed that the Blue Jays were actually in the running to land the biggest free agent in MLB history. As the days went on and the rumor mill continued to swirl, there was no indication that the Blue Jays weren't still under consideration. In fact, Ohtani even visited the Blue Jays spring training complex in Dunedin — something not many free agents ever do, let alone those of Ohtani's status.

Then, on Dec. 8, many fans started their day by seeing a tweet from a reputable source indicating that Ohtani's decision was imminent, possibly coming that day. That reporter was Jon Morosi of MLB Network, and his tweet at 8:39 a.m. ET raised some eyebrows.

Shortly after, Blue Jays fans on social noticed that a private flight was scheduled to take off from John Wayne Airport, near Anaheim, and land in Toronto that afternoon. All of a sudden social media was abuzz, and fans truly believed that Ohtani was on that plane — with 4,000 people following along on a public flight tracker.

Adding fuel to the fire, an opera singer claimed that Blue Jays pitcher and fellow Japanese player Yusei Kikuchi had reserved an entire sushi restaurant near Rogers Centre, indicating there was a big celebration being planned.

Later that afternoon, a Dodgers reporter said that Ohtani had in fact chosen the Blue Jays. That reporter was J.P. Hoornstra, who had been a beat reporter for a decade following the Dodgers. His tweet at 1:53 p.m. ET held a link to a fully written piece, and all of a sudden, it just became very real that the Blue Jays' 2024 roster might really include Ohtani.

What set the fan base even more ablaze was the fact that they were also on the shortlist to acquire another superstar in Juan Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres. But just a few days before FlightGate, it was revealed that the Padres preferred the Yankees offer and sent Soto to New York in a trade. No big deal for Blue Jays fans, right? They were close, sure, but now they can keep all their prospects and counter their division rivals with an even bigger move of their own.

After Hoornstra's tweet, people were fantasizing about an Ohtani-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. combo going head-to-head against Soto and Aaron Judge. The battle for AL East supremacy just got interesting! But about ten minutes later, a collective record scratch was heard across the country as a very reputable source for Blue Jays news threw cold water all over this scenario.

Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith tweeted that there was no decision made by Ohtani and there was no timeline he is expected to meet, although he did say the Blue Jays are still a finalist in those decision. OK, OK, so we jumped the gun a bit. But still, this was just a minor setback before the ultimate victory, right?

At 4:01 p.m. ET, Morosi made the biggest claim of the day: "Ohtani is en route to Toronto." Pandemonium set in. This was the day Blue Jays fans had been waiting for. The day the greatest player alive chose them. Ohtani was coming to Canada!

But Ohtani was never on the plane. Just before six p.m. ET, everyone found out the flight in fact belonged to Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec, one of the panelists on the television series "Shark Tank". Then, late into the night, came an apology from Morosi. He said he reported "inaccurate information" and that he let people down.

The next day, Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, adding that he thought the whole thing was "funny" as he watched it unfold from his couch in Southern California. It was heartbreaking. People called for an overhaul of ownership. No, it wasn't their fault Ohtani wasn't on that plane, but it was their fault for not doing everything they could to convince the greatest player alive to come north.

Blue Jays fans felt that after 30 years of failing to get to a World Series, landing Ohtani was finally going to be the thing that got them back over the hump. But it was not to be, and at the end of the day it was a lesson in how untrustworthy a few unverified claims on social media can truly be. So while the boos and chants that rain down upon Ohtani during the World Series may feel unwarranted, it encapsulates a moment in history in which an entire fan base felt like the butt of a cruel, cruel joke.