The Los Angeles Dodgers received their 2024 World Series rings on Friday evening at Dodger Stadium in front of the hometown fans, who went nuts went NL MVP Shohei Ohtani came out.

Ohtani, who won his first championship last season, ran out to a flurry of cheers from a jam-packed stadium:

Hopefully, that’s the first of many for the Japanese superstar. While Ohtani didn’t swing it particularly well in the playoffs, where he slashed just .230, Ohtani definitely made his presence felt in the regular season. The 30-year-old became the first player ever to hit at least 50 homers and steal a minimum of 50 bases.

Ohtani finished the campaign with 54 long balls, 130 RBI, and 59 swiped bags. He’s already gone deep twice in the 2025 season, too. Speaking after Thursday’s Opening Day win over the Detroit Tigers, Ohtani expressed excitement to play in front of the Dodgers fans again and chase another title:

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“Playing in front of these fans, and in this circumstance,” Shohei Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, “it did make me want to win. Be able to motivate myself to win another championship.”

As baseball fans, it’s a treat to see Ohtani do his thing on a nightly basis. Don’t forget, he still hasn’t taken the mound for the Dodgers, either. Once Ohtani also returns to the hill and joins an already loaded LA rotation, it will be a scary sight for opponents.

It will be difficult for the slugger to top his fantastic ’24 season, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ohtani make more MLB history. That just seems to be a common occurrence for him.

As for the Dodgers’ World Series hopes, they’re very much alive. LA is a frontrunner to win the Fall Classic again after an insane offseason where they added Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and re-signed key players such as Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman, and Kike Hernandez.