Despite his efforts to stay out of the spotlight, Shohei Ohtani, the newest Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, made a visit to SoFi Stadium to watch the Los Angeles Rams play a crucial game against the New Orleans Saints. While it was initially expected that Ohtani would be accompanied by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, plans changed, and Ohtani attended the game alone. Ohtani and Yamamoto share a friendship from their time playing on Team Japan and recently spent time together at Dodger Stadium.

During his visit to SoFi Stadium, Ohtani received a custom Rams home jersey with his number, 17, on it. He became the center of attention, with Rams players approaching him to greet him. The Rams went on to defeat the Saints by a score of 30-22 in a significant game with the playoffs approaching. After the victory, Ohtani entered the Rams’ clubhouse, where he conversed with head coach Sean McVay and some players.

Prior to his visit to SoFi Stadium, Ohtani had also attended a Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) as part of his tour of other professional sports teams in Los Angeles following his switch from Anaheim. It remains unclear if Ohtani will attend an L.A. Kings game, although the hockey club will be hosting Dodgers Night on January 4, during which they typically invite a player for the ceremonial puck drop.

While Yamamoto was initially expected to join Ohtani at the Rams game, he had other matters to attend to, as it was reported during the game that he had agreed to terms with the Dodgers. In anticipation of Yamamoto’s visit, the Rams had prepared a jersey for him, which they shared in a video to welcome him to Los Angeles.