Schneider Jokes About Ohtani “Stealing” and His Dog’s Jacket
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider humorously expressed his desire to get back a cap and jacket that Shohei Ohtani took after meeting with the team. Before signing a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani met with Blue Jays executives on December 4, 2023, at the team’s spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida. Ohtani, who will be the first batter in the World Series, will play with the Dodgers against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on Friday night, following his outstanding performance in the National League championship.Schneider also mentioned the “Decoy” jacket, Ohtani’s dog, a Nederlandse kooikerhondje. Ohtani responded with a smile when asked about the cap:I hope you brought your cap, the Blue Jay’s cap that he took from us at our meeting. I hope he finally brought it back.
John Schneider
Ohtani led the Dodgers to the title last year, batting .310 with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, and 59 stolen bases. Back on the mound in a limited role this season after returning from elbow surgery, he batted .282 with 55 home runs, 102 RBIs and 20 steals, while going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 62 in 47 innings. Last Friday, he hit three home runs while pitching six scoreless innings and striking out 10 against Milwaukee, as the Dodgers completed a four-game sweep of the National League Championship Series. Without Ohtani, the Blue Jays had the finances to give first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a $500 million, 14-year contract that begins next year, and helped Toronto reach the World Series for the first time since 1993.It’s in my garage.
Shohei Ohtani
Schneider said he’s not sure how close the Blue Jays were to signing Ohtani. When we met with him, you felt good about it, and you felt good about the comments he was making about our organization and the opportunity here. But you never really know what a player feels in free agency, and there are a lot of things that have to align for them personally as well, so you can’t really think about the what-ifs. You think about the 26 players we have.He’s a great player. But apart from that, I think we have a great team and an incredible cast of characters and players. I think things worked out the way they were supposed to.
John Schneider