Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani was introduced as a member of the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, and he donned his No. 17 jersey for the first time.
But why No. 17 you ask?
Ohtani wore No. 11 as a member of the Nippon Ham Fighters, but the hitter/pitcher was unable to wear that number in L.A. as it’s retired in honor of Jim Fregosi.
So Ohtani chose 17, and not 18, which has been worn by a number of Japanese stars because the number he wanted already was taken by some guy named Mike Trout.
Shohei Ohtani wanted to wear #️⃣2️⃣7️⃣ but 'someone else was wearing that number' @MikeTrout @Angels @MLBonFOX #ShoheiDay pic.twitter.com/TrXSXL0AAj
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) December 9, 2017
We’re sure Trout might have given up the number if it was a deal breaker, as the star outfielder basically has been doing it on his own out in L.A. for the past few seasons.
The Angels’ plan for Ohtani is not yet known, but the 23-year-old star has said he wants to both pitch and hit in the big leagues. As long as he doesn’t want Trout’s spot in the lineup that should be fine.
