Angel Stadium team stores have their own Ohtani-oriented sections, peddling pennants, towels and caps GETTY IMAGES
The sports memorabilia world is "buzzing" over Angels P/DH Shohei Ohtani, as his autographed Topps rookie card on Monday sold for $6,725, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Rick Probstein, whose company sold the card, said, "It's a truly foreign market that is buying his memorabilia." He added, "His autographed cards have tripled or quadrupled in the last two to three weeks." Topps on Tuesday said that it has "sold 102,501 on-demand cards of Ohtani on its website in the past 32 hours" (ESPN.com, 4/10). In California, Tomoya Shimura wrote the excitement surrounding Ohtani is "playing out at Angel Stadium." A week into the season, Japanese fans are "showing up in Ohtani jerseys and T-shirts." A cluster of them during Ohtani's home pitching debut on Sunday "cheered in Japanese from field level seats behind the Angels dugout, waving Japanese flags and holding up hand-made signs that, in Japanese, said things like 'Go Ohtani' and 'Sho Time' and, referencing his number, 'Love 17.'" At the Angel Stadium team stores, the club has "set up special Ohtani-oriented sections, peddling Ohtani-themed pennants, towels, caps and the like" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/11).
MUST-SEE ATTRACTION: In San Diego, Tom Krasovic wrote Ohtani has "shown he belongs, as both a pitcher and a slugger." Two weeks into the season, he has "set the baseball world on a finger and spun it, Globetrotter-style" (SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.com, 4/10). In S.F., John Shea wrote Ohtani is "taking the game by storm at another level." He hits "tape-measure home runs -- three in three games in between two starts on the mound." Ohtani is "capturing the imagination of the baseball world" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/11). Ohtani got his only start at DH in the Angels' series finale against the Rangers last night, and in Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes he is "not sure" he can give Ohtani "all the credit for the increased attendance" at Globe Life Park for the games. The Rangers "drew a little more than 16,000 and 18,000 the first two nights before 20,363 showed up" yesterday. But there is "no doubt right now there is more curiosity about Ohtani than any player in the game" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/12).
