Shohei Ohtani gifts Porsche to wife of Joe Kelly, pitcher who gave up jersey number
Kelly wore #17 while playing for Chicago White Sox
LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani knows how to show his appreciation.
The wife of Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly posted video of a brand new Porsche showing up in front of their home, apparently a gift from the team's new $700 million superstar.
"It's yours. From Shohei," she is told in the video. "He wanted to gift you a Porsche. I swear."
The gift apparently is a sign of respect to the couple who both played enthusiastic supporting roles in enticing Ohtani to sign with the Dodgers.
Joe Kelly, who recently signed a new deal with the Dodgers, agreed to give up his jersey number 17 to Ohtani. That's the same number he wore with the Angels for six years. He also was number 17 when he played for the Chicago White Sox in 2022 and 2023.
Before Ohtani committed to the Dodgers, Ashley Kelly was vocal on social media in recruiting pitches with the hashtag #Ohtake17. Some of them were tongue-in-cheek, like renaming their new baby son Kai to ShoKai, and offering him every piece of gear the family has with the number 17 on it.
Joe Kelly will now wear #99, as his wife enthusiastically announced in this followup video taking all the #17 gear out of the house.
Ohtani, widely considered the best player in baseball, inked a stunning 10-year, $700 million deal with the team earlier this month.
He may have also played a role in recruiting another superstar from Japan, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The two players are wasting no time getting to know each other. Matsuhisa Beverly Hills posted a picture of the two dining there together on Saturday.
