“They can burn in hell”; “A pathetic org” – MLB fans fume initially as Angels were expected to snub Shohei Ohtani before team honors star

Shohei Ohtani is set to return to Anaheim for the first time since signing his record-breaking deal in the offseason as the Los Angeles Dodgers face his old team, the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. However, the Japanese superstar was not slated to receive a grand welcome when he took the field at his former home stadium.

According to Sam Blum, MLB writer for the Athletic, the Angels organization had no plans to officially recognize the past contributions of Shohei Ohtani to the team. Noah Camras, who covers the Dodgers for DodgersNation, posted a tweet on Tuesday carrying the news, which left fans fuming at the decision by the franchise.

Shohei Ohtani spent six years with the Angels and racked up two American League MVP titles in that time. He made his major league debut with the team in 2018, when he established himself as a two-way player at the highest level and won the AL Rookie of the Year. Ohtani batted .274/.366/.556 with 171 home runs for the Halos and had an 18-19 record with a 3.01 ERA as a pitcher.

The news that Shohei Ohtani would not be feted by the Angels did not sit well with fans on social media. They were appalled at the lack of respect shown to their former player and vented their fury at the team owner and management on X, formerly Twitter.

"They can burn in hell with Anthony Rendon," posted one fan.

"A pathetic org and ownership," wrote another fan.

"Would be embarassing if true, but hey it’s the angels," exclaimed another fan.

Nevertheless, there was a large number of Angels fans who felt they had already honored Ohtani with a ceremony when the two teams met in spring training.

"We already honored him in March," said one Angels fan.

'We already gave him his flowers tribute video during the exhibition game back in March in Anaheim," said another one.

"They didn’t win anything while he was there and left for their cross town rival," another fan posted.

Clearly, the departure of Ohtani to the Dodgers remains a sore point for many Angels fans.

Angels eventually agree to honor Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani played six seasons for the Angels (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Although the Los Angeles Angels initially had no plans to mark the return of Shohei Ohtani to Anaheim, they have reportedly changed their stance on the matter. A scoreboard graphic of Ohtani's achievements with the Angels has been put on display ahead of the game, and further gestures may follow before the first pitch is thrown.

However, it is not entirely clear if the late change of plans by the Angels was spontaneous or if it was actually driven by the backlash from the fans on social media.