Mamiko Tanaka sarcastically teased Otani about Blue Jays fans' mockery at the World Series

During the first match of the World Championship between Los Angeles and Toronto, fans of the Canadian team decided to remind the star Japanese player that he preferred “the Dodgers.” When Otani stepped onto the field, Blue Jays fans chanted “we don’t need you” — a direct reference to his choice of a California team during recent free agency instead of Toronto.

Otani himself took the teasing philosophically. “It was great,” he commented on the chants he heard. He also added that he hopes not to hear similar chants at home: “I’m just trying to make sure I don’t hear the same chants at home that I heard in Toronto.”

However, what really surprised Otani was his wife Mamiko Tanaka’s reaction. It turned out she decided to join in the mockery, but from her own side. “My wife really enjoyed the moment, so she played a little with me on this topic,” the player said, smiling, adding that he was used to such teasing from Tanaka.

Despite the hostile atmosphere at the stadium, Otani delivered a worthy performance. He sent the ball out of the stadium, earning important points for his team. Fans, however, accompanied his appearance with whistles, but Dodgers’ star remained unfazed.

Before this game, Otani had experienced a slump during the playoffs, but recently he regained form. In the series against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League, he demonstrated an impressive game with three home runs. “I really feel better at the plate lately,” he noted after the first World Series game.

Otani emphasized that he puts maximum effort into preparation and stepping onto the field with the right mindset, but also highlighted the importance of the opponent. Now that the series has moved to Los Angeles, the Japanese star will be met with a much warmer reception from his fans in the stadium stands.