(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The pursuit of Shohei Ohtani was not exclusively a matter of money, nor the most clever contract.
There were numerous things involved: geographical position, the meetings, and even Ohtani’s preferred number.
The two-time MVP has used No. 17 in his career with the Los Angeles Angels.
Joe Kelly has used No. 17 since 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers (the team that ended up signing Ohtani) and the Chicago White Sox.
As part of the pitch to Ohtani, he agreed to give the number to the global star.
Kelly’s wife, Ashley, had an active campaign to recruit Ohtani to the Dodgers and got her reward.
“Shohei Ohtani gifted Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley, a brand new Porsche as a thank you for No. 17. Ashley Kelly started a campaign (#Ohtake17) to try to convince Shohei to sign with the Dodgers,” FOX Sports: MLB tweeted.
Shohei Ohtani gifted Joe Kelly's wife, Ashely, a brand new Porsche as a thank you for No. 17
Ashley Kelly started a campaign (#Ohtake17) to try to convince Shohei to sign with the Dodgers.
(via ashleynicokelly/IG) pic.twitter.com/44Xjn3f9Vb
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 24, 2023
It was a cool gesture by Ohtani, and one in which everybody wins: Ohtani got a life-changing contract and a nice gesture by one of his teammates, the Dodgers get a generational player, and Mrs. Kelly gets a Porsche.
The company, in addition, gets some worldwide endorsement.
Everybody wins.
Kelly’s wife’s campaign was called #OhTake17.
Per the AP, “she showed him all the No. 17 garb her family had that could be repurposed for Ohtani and his family and offered to rename the couple’s baby, Kai, to ShoKai. In the video posted this weekend, she opens the front door to reveal a silver sports car parked in front of the house. ‘It’s yours, from Shohei,’ a man off camera says in the video to the stunned woman. ‘He wanted to gift you a Porsche.’”
What about a gift for Kelly himself?
The pitcher had an interesting answer to that.
“Oh, there’s a list, but no comment,” he told the AP.
The post Shohei Ohtani Gave The Ultimate Christmas Gift appeared first on The Cold Wire.
