Shohei Ohtani seemed to revel in the boos Mets fans rained down on him during the pregame introductions ahead of Game 3 of the NLCS Wednesday night at Citi Field.
The Dodgers superstar and likely NL MVP joined in on the fun as he ran out toward his coaches and teammates lined up along the third base line, mimicking the fans’ boos with a smile on his face.
Citi Field was buzzing before first pitch, with the crowd cheering loudly for the Mets during their introductions and gave a loud ovation when Darryl Strawberry threw the ceremonial first pitch to Doc Gooden.
The leadoff hitter Ohtani, 30, began the game by grounding out on Luis Severino’s first pitch.
After signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers — $680 million of which is deferred — Ohtani had a historic season, becoming the first 50-50 player ever with 54 home runs, 59 steals, 130 RBIs and 134 runs while hitting .310 with a 1.036 OPS.
The two-way star did not pitch this season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Ohtani homered in his first ever MLB playoff game against the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS, but since that game he was just 4-for-23 through his first at-bat of Wednesday’s game with two RBIs and 10 strikeouts.
He went 2-for-4 with an RBI, walk and two runs in the Dodgers’ Game 1 win over the Mets before going 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts as the Mets evened the series on Monday.