Ripon Little League makes big offer to draw Shohei Ohtani to San Francisco Giants
RIPON — The Ripon Little League entered the high-stakes bidding war for Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Otani, taking a swing for the free agent.
Ohtani is the new Babe Ruth of the major leagues. He hits home runs and he strikes people out.
The Ripon Little League was in on the Ohtani sweepstakes as several major league teams sought to sign him.
Ripon Little League posted an offer on social media that said if Ohtani agreed to sign with the San Francisco Giants, they would rename the little league after him.
"When they call him the modern-day Babe Ruth, why not? Why not bring the modern-day Babe Ruth to your hometown?" said Ray Hall, who is the social media manager for the Ripon league.
🚨 OUR OFFER TO SHOHEI OHTANI! 🚨 If you’re a fan of MLB, you know that the prized free agent player of this off-season,...
Posted by Ripon Little League on Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Hall is the person who put the offer up.
"Think of us as like a little kid whose got their piggy bank and they want to offer all they can to bring a free agent to their hometown, and that's how we kind of viewed it," Hall said.
Ohtani was fetching more than a little league piggy bank. He signed a record-breaking deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
The Ripon Little League has won seven championship banners
That is their an all-time record.