Shohei Ohtani has delivered plenty of highlight-reel moments this season, but what happened in San Diego on Sunday might be one of the most entertaining yet. After being heckled all game by a Padres fan, the slugger launched his 45th home run of the season. Ohtani also surprised everyone by high-fiving the heckler as he rounded the bases.

Dodgers vs. Padres Highlights

The clip instantly went viral, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted he had never seen anything quite like it and called the heckler’s antics “quite annoying.”

Now, the Padres’ fan, identified as Billy Jean, came out and revealed what led to Ohtani’s high-five moment. Talking with Dodgers Nation after the game, Billy admitted he wasn’t even a baseball fan but came along with his brother-in-law, a die-hard Dodgers supporter, who told him Ohtani was like “the Michael Jordan of baseball.”

He revealed that he started with light-hearted jokes. “I told him, ‘Damn baby, you look like a mix of The Rock and Jet Li,’ because the guy is just massive,” he recalled. At first, Shohei Ohtani didn’t react, but the fan kept it going.

“So, when the guy before him went, I said, ‘pitcher just get this one, the next one is 0-for-10’. And then he give me like a little slight glare.”

Moments later, Ohtani crushed a homer. As he rounded third base, he turned to Billy Jean and reached out for a high-five.

Heckler Says He “Deserved” Clap-Back From Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani (Image Credits: X @TalkinBaseball_)
After heckling him all game, the San Diego man admitted that he deserved that clap-back from Ohtani.

“I knew I deserved it,” Billy admitted. “You know what I mean? It’s like, you know, when you talk trash, I was like, I have it coming to me. I deserve this moment. And boy, I just knew.”

For Shohei Ohtani, it was just another swing in an MVP-caliber season. For the heckler, it became an unforgettable story to tell. And for fans, it was a rare glimpse of the Dodgers superstar showing personality on the field.