Shohei Ohtani Heckler Apologies to Padres for Waking Up the Beast After Losing $20K in Viral Moment

When the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres meet, the rivalry always brings fireworks. And on Sunday night at Petco Park, Shohei Ohtani ensured that one Padres fan got a front-row lesson on how heckling baseball’s biggest star is not always a great idea.

So the game was already in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ favor when Ohtani stepped up in the ninth inning. With one swing, he crushed a ball and managed his 45th homer of the season. The Dodgers ended up with an 8-2 win. But what happened next then ended up going viral.

Ohtani, instead of going to the dugout after rounding the bases, made a detour. He reached out and high-fived the Padres fan who had been riling him all along. As if saying thank you for waking him up!

The fan turned out to be Billy Gene, a Padres supporter who admitted later at Dodgers Nation that he was not even much of a baseball guy. He dropped $20,000 on the tickets for a nice boys’ night out. He then learned from his mate about Ohtani’s record and called the Padres pitcher, saying, “Just get through this guy; the next one’s 0-for-10.” Then came the turning point because Sho heard that. Gene said, “Ohtani looked me dead in the eye and pointed.” Then what? Just moments later, Ohtani sent the ball flying.

But yes, everyone was caught off guard by Shohei Ohtani’s sportsmanship. He didn’t gloat; he just acknowledged the Padres fan and laughed it off. Gene, meanwhile, was impressed and said, “He’s the GOAT. Imagine watching Jordan—he’s that for baseball….But he even apologised saying,” It was fun. Padres Nation, I guess I cost us an L.” Well, it was a tough pill to swallow for Padres fans, as they are now deadlined at 74-57 in the division race.

Now inside the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout, everyone from players to Dave Roberts was cracking up. Roberts, in fact, called the heckler very annoying. But he also mentioned that he loved watching Ohtani flip the game. “It was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five. That was great. That was fun. It was good to see Shohei show his personality.” Because that doesn’t happen often at all, even though he is known to be the most humble person. Overall, for everyone, though, this moment was pure theater—waking the beast—surely the best storyline.

Michael Conforto’s Los Angeles Dodgers spot in jeopardy!

While Ohtani had a lovely day and the media is eating that moment up beautifully, it has not been the same for everyone. Michael Conforto, for example, has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons. Now his year has not gone as he had hoped for or as the Dodgers had wished for. And now, according to some insiders like Ken Rosenthal, Conforto’s role in the team might be slipping fast. The reason? Reinforcements. “The pending returns of the injured players will jeopardize the roster spot of Michael Conforto, whom the Dodgers signed last offseason to a one-year, $17 million contract,” said Rosenthal.

Conforto was signed this past off-season to a one-year $17 million deal by the Dodgers, and he for sure looked like a promising fit early on. But that momentum did not last, and since then, he has fallen into a major slump. He is hitting just .183 with a .606 OPS. And with the Dodgers ready to welcome some of their key names, his role truly could be in jeopardy. Both Hyeseong Kim and Kim Hernandez are finishing up their rehab assignments. They are expected to come soon, and even Dave Roberts has hinted at using them in left field.

This is the same spot that Conforto has occupied. “We know Hyeseong can play second base. We know he can play shortstop. So just seeing him out in left field potentially gives us more options,” Roberts said. On Hernández, Roberts said, “I think we’ll see him in left field… but we definitely need production.” For sure, the timing is tough for Conforto, though.

LA Dodgers left fielders currently rank 23rd in MLB in wRC+, and while Alex Call has helped since joining, he hasn’t played every day. Now with Kim and Hernandez healthy, the Dodgers suddenly have options. Still, LA is tied with San Diego, and Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds gives LA a chance to create some separation.