Shohei Ohtani responds to John Schneider’s outlandish request

When Shohei Ohtani was courted by several MLB franchises following his departure from the Los Angeles Angels, the Nippon native narrowed his options to the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Although the Blue Jays were unable to take advantage of the two-way player's services since he hit the free agent market, they still found themselves in the World Series two years later.

But no one has forgotten how close the Canadiens came to acquiring the Japanese prodigy, least of all John Schneider. Indeed, the manager remembers everything, including the souvenirs given to Ohtani and his dog Decoy in the hope of luring him to the team. And he'd like them back.

The manager wants back the Blue Jays cap the Japanese got when he visited the club as a free agent. https://t.co/M2xvCwX9FI

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) October 23, 2025

That's all it took for Ohtani to respond to the Jays skipper in the midst of World Series festivities.

It's in my garage.

Then, still speaking through an interpreter, who this time was not involved in a sports betting scandal, the three-time MVP winner went on to heap praise on the Blue Jays.

I really had a wonderful time getting to know them as an entire organization, and the impression I got was that they're top-notch. Great people. And so the circumstance that we get to play against them, against this superb organization, is something I'm really looking forward to.

In 121 career at-bats against the Jays, Ohtani boasts a .314 batting average with 11 home runs and 27 runs batted in.

“It's in my garage.”

Shohei Ohtani responds to John Schneider's request to return his Blue Jays hat. pic.twitter.com/Lhf7Nc97hw

– TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 23, 2025

It remains to be seen how all this will play out at the Fall Classic.

This content was created with the help of AI.