Shohei Ohtani rebuffing Giants question came at perfect time as SF fans show disrespect

Shohei Ohtani's first two at-bats as a Dodger were unremarkable. He got massive ovations every time and fans pulled out phones just in case something amazing happened, but he struck out swinging the first time and grounded into a double play the second.

He'd gone into the game expecting to get two or three at-bats, so after the groundout, it was possible that a run scoring on the double play (not technically an RBI) would be all he had to show for his Dodgers debut. Fans would've walked away from Camelback shrugging. At least he made contact? At least he's still well on his way to being ready for Opening Day?

Meanwhile, rival fans were absolutely reveling in the outcomes of those first two at-bats. KNBR, a San Francisco-based radio station, shared a rather pathetic video of some employees watching Ohtani's first plate appearance and going wild when he struck out.

And then Ohtani stepped up again in the bottom of the fifth and sent a 377-foot home run over the left field fence. In a follow-up video that at least demonstrated some amount of self-awareness, those same KNBR employees were hanging their heads and groaning as the ball left the park.

While speaking to the media after the game, Ohtani continued to be a class act. A reporter who seemed eager to stir the pot even more with regard to San Francisco asked Ohtani what he'd thought of San Francisco and the Giants in free agency. He barely had to exchange a full sentence with translator Ippei Mizuhara before Mizuhara was shutting the question down on Ohtani's behalf.

SF Giants media and fans continue to embarrass themselves after Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers debut

We get it, losing a star player in free agency is hard, especially when it's to a hated rival team and especially when it's Ohtani, but the Giants lost that race months ago now. Do SF fans really have nothing better to do than watch a Dodgers game in the middle of their workday just to rejoice over something that he'll do in about a fourth of his at-bats during the regular season? And does San Francisco media really feel the need for an Ohtani quote to add to the list of players who have dunked on their city? To what aim?

None of it makes sense. Both the Giants and their fans should redirect their attention to their own team and worry about that before wasting time giving SportsNet LA good ratings. Maybe the fact that Giants pitchers are continuing to crumble with injury and have continuously been spurned by big free agents gave fans the urge to look for happiness anywhere they could find it.

This will undoubtedly be a frequent occurrence throughout the season. Ohtani will strike out, just like every player does, and then he'll still hit nearly 40 home runs on the season and be in the MVP conversation at the end of the year. Giants fans can stay obsessed with Ohtani, but they won't be on his mind at all.