Shohei Ohtani responds to booing Blue Jays fans with wholesome comment

Shohei Ohtani is an enigma. It feels like no matter where he goes, whether he's playing for the home team or the away team, he's cheered by the crowd. Fans from all over the world flock to the ballpark to watch him play in person.

This was the case until the Los Angeles Dodgers went north of the border to play a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Ohtani was booed by Blue Jays fans after it seemed as if he was going to sign with Toronto this past offseason.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Ohtani took those boos in stride and immediately launched a home run. Ohtani thriving despite the boos even caused his own teammates to join in on the action in a hilarious twist. The boos clearly do not bother him, and Ohtani made sure to let everyone know just that by giving a wholesome comment.

Shohei Ohtani gives perfect response to being booed by Blue Jays fans

"Fans boo opposing players out of love for their own team. Both Dodgers fans and Blue Jays fans show up for their teams in great numbers and are vocal in their support. You can feel their love for the game of Baseball and I have great respect for that."

Ohtani knows where the boos are coming from. It's nothing personal, it's just Blue Jays fans rooting for their team. They think that by booing him, they can maybe get into his head and cause him to have a bad game. It hasn't worked, clearly, but Ohtani can't fault them for trying. He said himself, "If I were a Blue Jays fan I might have booed myself." At the end of the day, Blue Jays fans want their team to win and a bad performance from Ohtani will only help them in that regard.

"I don't mind if I get booed because it's part of baseball. The best thing for the fans is to have fun. It means that they care about me so I think it's not bad."

Again, Ohtani knows this isn't a personal thing. Blue Jays fans wish he was in their uniform. In fact, a large portion of the booing is probably stemming from the lingering frustration that came from Ohtani choosing to sign with the Dodgers after reports circulated that he was en route to Toronto.

Ohtani knows that this game is played for the fans, and the best thing for them to do when they come and spend their hard-earned money is to have fun. If booing Ohtani is fun for them, he welcomes it.

The best part of the quote is the last part when he says booing him means that they care about me. He's spot on. If Ohtani was some average player, fans wouldn't be reacting the way that they have over the weekend. They're booing him because he's the best player in the game. If anything, it's a sign of respect. All of the best players in every sport get booed for that exact reason.

This whole response is pure gold coming from Ohtani, a player who is not used to being booed. Perhaps with Ohtani signing with the powerhouse Dodgers he'll get booed more than he's used to. Regardless, it doesn't seem like it'll affect his play whether he's booed or cheered.