Shohei Ohtani Bobblehead Giveaway Draws Dodgers’ Biggest Regular Season Crowd in 5 Years
For months, any Dodger player, coach or executive has said the focus of the 2024 season is on October. The Dodgers aren’t taking anything for granted, but they have clearly adopted the World-Series-or-Bust mentality fans embraced long ago.
Thursday’s game brought a taste of the October cauldron to May.
The Dodgers announced attendance to their game against the Cincinnati Reds at 53,527. The sellout was the Dodgers’ fifth this season, and it brought more people to Dodger Stadium than any regular-season game since 2019:
To put that in perspective, a Thursday game against a National League Central team drew more fans than a June 2023 game against the New York Yankees, every Opening Day for the last four years, and even the Aug. 2022 home game that doubled as a celebration of life for Vin Scully.
The secret? Shohei Ohtani, of course.
More specifically, the occasion of the first Ohtani bobblehead giveaway at Dodger Stadium drew massive crowds — and drew them early. Ticket prices skyrocketed as lines formed hours before the first pitch among fans waiting to be among the first 40,000 through the gates.
After the game, a 7-2 Dodgers loss, Ohtani expressed appreciation for the fans through his interpreter, Will Ireton:
“Just overall a very nice setting to have a lot of fans in the stands. I’m very appreciative that they all came tonight.”
— Shohei Ohtani
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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