New Dodger phenomenon Shohei Ohtani played Santa for a fellow player’s family Friday, gifting a new sports car to Ashley Kelly for her tongue-in-cheek campaign to lure him to the Dodgers by offering Ohtani her husband’s jersey number.
Kelly is married to relief pitcher Joe Kelly, who wore No. 17, the same number Ohtani wore during his six-year major league career with the Angels, where he won two American League MVP awards and has become a two-way phenomenon as a player. pitcher and hitter.
As Ohtani pondered his firm and flexible resolve this month, Ashley Kelly launched a fun crusade on social media to bring the Japanese superstar to the Dodgers by assuring him he could continue to wear No. 17 as a Dodger.
Using the hashtag #ohtake17, the former UC Riverside women’s soccer player posted a video on Instagram in which she promised Ohtani not only her husband’s jersey number, but also all of the family’s gear bearing it — even the ones that feature Joe Kelly’s image or name. After Ohtani signed with the team, Ashley Kelly followed up with another video, this time celebrating Ohtani’s agreeing to a 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers. In it, she gleefully tosses all the No. 17 items onto the family’s front lawn while blowing them goodbye kisses.
Her crusade paid off, at least for her. On Friday night, she posted a video in which she is seen looking apprehensively, from the door of her home, at the sports car parked in front of the Kelly home.
“It’s up to you,” said a man’s voice, “Shohei. I wanted to give you a Porsche.
T-shirt numbers are semi-sacred in baseball lore, so it’s not unusual for new players who enter a team and are missing a number already worn by another player to offer that player some price for that number. The most high-profile player has the ultimate influence, and Ashley Kelly’s playful crusader claimed there would be no dispute over who will wear No. 17 next season.
It’s possible Ohtani will still praise Joe Kelly in some other way for delivering the lucky 17. Meanwhile, the reliever who is part of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Championship squad will wear No. 99, which he last wore during pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu.
Times editor Chuck Schilken contributed to this report.
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Roger Vincent covers real estate for the Los Angeles Times.
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