Ohtani To The Dodgers (And Other Headlines)

“I’M SO HYPEDDDDDD LET’S GO TO A GAMEEEEEE!”

This was the text message my cousin sent upon learning — along with the rest of Dodgers Nation — that Shohei Ohtani, the free-agent baseball superstar hitter and pitcher with the Angels, was coming to Chavez Ravine.

For Ohtani, it's time for Dodgers baseball

Other texts and messages I got from others weren’t much different. Another buddy of mine got choked up. Another cried (or got a little misty, at least).

Still, if you’re a non-baseball fan, it’s fair of you to wonder: What’s the big deal? Well, first, the deal is big — Ohtani is signing a historically massive 10-year, $700 million contract. Also, even for casual fans, Ohtani is event television. My colleague Josie Huang uses the term “unicorn” to describe him, and that works. It’s not that he hits and pitches, it’s how he does it. He is as comfortable smashing 450-foot homers out of the park as he is hurling 100-mph fastballs past elite hitters. Keep this in mind, though — because of his recovery from injury, Ohtani’s just going to be a hitter in 2024. Dodger fans will see him on the mound in 2025.

If want to know more, check out the rest of Josie’s story here. Also, check out some context and analysis from Nick Roman, who knows more about baseball than a lot of us will ever know about any sport. It turns out the Dodgers had a shot at getting Ohtani years ago.

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading. 

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Wait ... one more thing

How this artist uses LA spaces to tell a story

Tidawhitney Lek is a painter whose work is currently in the Hammer museum as part of the Made in LA show.

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Tidawhitney Lek

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If you explore the Hammer Museum’s Made in LA exhibit, be sure to check out the work of Tidawhitney Lek, who focuses on and represents the domestic spaces of the city.

As part of its occasional series on L.A. artists and their viewpoints of the city, How to LA talked to Lek about her artistic origin story as well as some insight into her process. Check out my colleague Aaricka Washington’s deep dive with Lek here.