The Angels organization recognized Shohei Ohtani’s talent and signed him to a major league contract in December 2017. He spent six seasons on the West Coast with Anaheim.

The baseball world was rocked by his efforts over the last six seasons, which solidified his reputation as the best two-way player in baseball history.

Prioritize the year 2023. The seven-figure, ten-year deal that Ohtani inked with the Los Angeles Dodgers was the largest in American sports history.

Of outfielder Mike Trout, who got the largest free agency contract with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, Ohtani formed a strong friendship with. Prior to his arrival to the US, Ohtani had said the following, which he attributes to Trout:

“He told me the Angels are fantastic, that they have a fantastic clubhouse, and that he would love to have me here.  Those were some wise remarks, and I’m glad they were (h/t ESPN), Ohtani remarked in 2018.

Both players contributed significantly to the Halos’ success with clutch hits and had fantastic performances when they were on the same team. Rumors about Mike Trout’s transfer circulated, adding fuel to the fire that Ohtani was bound to enter free agency after turning down player and club options with the Angels’ organization this summer.

This was because Anaheim had never won a trophy in all those years, but Los Angeles was too set in its ways to consider trading for Trout over the offseason.

In the 2023 World Baseball Classic finals, Shohei played for Team Japan versus Mike Trout for Team USA.

The United States needed a home run to tie the game and send it to extra innings, but Shotime called the game after catching a nasty sweeper to Trout, which struck him out, and Team Japan became the first team to win the World Baseball Classic three times in a row. The final batter for the United States faced two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

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Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani have an unfathomable connection.

For many, Shohei Ohtani has been an invaluable buddy and teammate from his days in Japan’s top division. As an illustration of the two-way phenomena, consider Lars Nootbaar: he formed a lasting friendship with a new coworker. One pal in particular played a pivotal role in creating a fraternity and team spirit at his rookie ballclub, the Los Angeles Angels.

It was at the Angels’ spring training camp six years ago that Ohtani first met Mike Trout. One of the most unusual player-pair-friend relationships off the court developed when Trout grew acclimated to his teammate’s charming personality.

After ShoTime’s home run, Trout and Ohtani embraced.

After ShoTime’s home run, Trout and Ohtani embraced.

In “Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-Way Japanese Superstar,” it is stated that Trout was the one who enthusiastically welcomed Ohtani first. When Ohtani and Trout were training at Angel Park, Shohei would make fun of Trout for driving a golf cart and call shotgun.