“How could anyone hate this man”; “The very definition of class” - Dodgers fans amazed by Shohei Ohtani’s respect for opposing team managers 

Shohei Ohtani comes from Japan, which has one of the most respectful cultures. People there show their respect by bowing. Similarly, when Shohei Ohtani took the plate against the San Francisco Giants for the first time as a Dodger, he bowed to opposing manager Bob Melvin to show his respect. In return, Melvin acknowledged the respect with a similar gesture.

This touched fans emotionally, as they took to X/Twitter to applaud Ohtani:

"How could anyone hate this man!?!?!?!! 😭😭😭" one fan said.

"The very definition of class," one fan said.

Here are a few other reactions on X:

While off the field, Ohtani has been at the center of discussion due to the firing and allegations against his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. On the field, he has not gotten off to a good start.

Ohtani is only hitting .242, with no runs yet, which is a little down from his standards. The fans will be hoping he regains his MVP touch soon.

Shohei Ohtani accuses former interpreter for stealing money and says he was sad to learn about this

Following theft allegations made by Shohei Ohtani's attorney against his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani came forward to the media to explain his side of the story.

The Dodgers star denied claims of his involvement in any betting and mentioned that he was "saddened and shocked" by Ippei's actions:

“I never bet on baseball or any other sports and I never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf and I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports,” Ohtani said through a translator.

He also said that Ippei is lying, referring to the interpreter's interview with ESPN, where he claimed Ohtani wired $4.5 million to settle debts:

"Obviously, I never agreed to pay off this debt or make payments to the bookmakers,” Ohtani added. “All of this has been a complete lie... Until a couple of days ago, I didn’t know this was happening. Ippei has stolen money from my account and told lies.

“I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said about the allegations.

Ohtani's clarification comes at a time when there was some uncertainty regarding his involvement in the whole situation. MLB is already looking into the allegations pertaining to Ippei Mizuhara and Ohtani.

It remains to be seen if there is more to come.