Shohei Ohtani Taunts from Blue Jays Fans Discussed by Bassitt, 'Don't Poke the Bear'

Even though the vibes in Toronto are all positive after the Blue Jays' 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series, Chris Bassitt would like to see the home crowd slow down with the taunts toward Shohei Ohtani to avoid potentially unleashing all of his powers.

"Don't poke the bear," Bassitt told reporters after the game about the taunts in Rogers Centre toward Ohtani.

With the game firmly in Toronto's favor in the ninth inning and Ohtani at the plate, the fans loudly chanted "we don't need you" at the three-time MVP.

Toronto's reaction toward Ohtani was a storyline coming into this series because of the wild story around his free agency two years ago.

The Blue Jays were among the most aggressive suitors for Ohtani in the winter of 2023, so much that they were considered a finalist.

While everyone was eagerly awaiting which team Ohtani was going to pick, one of the most absurd days in the history of sports on social media occurred on Dec. 8, 2023. There were online stories going around about private flights going from Anaheim, where he played the first six years of his career, to Toronto and fans speculating about that meant.

There were also some reports definitively stating that Ohtani was on his way to Toronto, followed by several follow-ups noting that he was not and the person on the private plane was a Canadian businessman and his family who have no known affiliation with an MLB team.

The suspense finally ended three days later when Ohtani announced he was signing with the Dodgers. Even though he did play in Toronto during the 2024 regular season, emotions were obviously much higher this time around given what's at stake for both franchises.

Things did work out for everyone in the end. Ohtani won his first World Series title with the Dodgers last season, along with his second straight MVP award.

The Blue Jays did have a disappointing 2024 in which they finished last in the AL East, but it only took them one year to turn everything around. They won 94 games in the regular season and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1993.

Even though Blue Jays fans were able to take advantage of the blowout win to taunt Ohtani, he did make his presence felt in the game with a two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Friday was the perfect script for Toronto to win this series. The AL champs chased Blake Snell out of the game after five innings, getting into the soft part of the bullpen for the Dodgers and putting up a total of nine runs in the decisive sixth inning.

The Blue Jays will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Saturday when they send Kevin Gausman to the mound against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.