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Fake bomb threat allegedly targeted Ohtani
A fake bomb threat in South Korea allegedly targeted Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the Seoul Series.
South Korean police looked into a possible bomb threat allegedly targeting Shohei Ohtani ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers game in Seoul.
According to reports from the Los Angeles Times, Seoul Shinmun (a South Korean newspaper) and Yonhap News Agency, police got a hold of an email threatening to set off a bomb during the Dodgers-San Diego Padres season opener at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
The email allegedly read, in-part, "폭탄을 경기 중 터뜨려 오타니 쇼헤이 선수 등을 해치겠다," which loosely translates in English to "I will detonate a bomb during the game and hard Shohei Ohtani and others," according to Seoul Shinmun's report.
The Los Angeles Times reported on March 19 that the bomb threat was not credible. The LA Times report added the alleged perpetrator was an "individual with a history of false claims."
With the threat deemed as a hoax, the game will go on at 7:05 p.m. local time, or 3:05 a.m. back home in Los Angeles. A second game will be held Thursday, March 21, with the first pitch set for 3:05 a.m. PT.
The upcoming "Seoul Series" marks Ohtani's first game in a Dodger uniform. Ohtani joined the Dodgers during the 2023 offseason after spending the previous six seasons in MLB with the Los Angeles Angels, where he captured two American League MVP awards.
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