Want a Shohei Ohtani Dodgers jersey? They’re selling faster than Messi, Ronaldo jerseys
Shohei Ohtani jerseys are now available for purchase at Dodger Stadium.
If you want one before Christmas, though, you might want to hurry — and also double-check how much you have in your bank account.
The Top of the Park gift shop received its first shipment of replica jerseys featuring No. 17 and the name of the Dodgers’ new superstar last weekend, a store employee who wished to remain anonymous told The Times by phone Wednesday afternoon.
The employee said the store has Ohtani replica jerseys available for $238 (including tax) in large, extra large and 2XL sizes and in both men’s and women’s styles. The jerseys that match the ones the players wear, with the red jersey number on the front, are not yet available.
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The jerseys are selling fast, the Top of the Park employee said, with people buying more than one at a time. While another shipment isn’t expected before Christmas, another option would be purchasing a custom jersey and using Ohtani and 17 as the name and number.
Fans who want to save a little cash and don’t necessarily need the jersey for holiday gift-giving purposes may want to order it online. The Dodgers’ online shop, which is run by Fanatics, has the replica jerseys available for preorder at $134.99 (before taxes).
The site states: “This item will not ship in time for Christmas delivery.”
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While too late for Santa, the preordered jerseys should arrive in plenty of time for opening day and even spring training.
According to the site, the men’s style replica jerseys will ship no later than Feb. 6 and the women’s no later than Feb. 15.
Official Ohtani jerseys also are available for preorder at $174.99 (before taxes). Those are said to be shipping no later than March 1.
The Dodgers will introduce Shohei Ohtani at a news conference at Dodger Stadium. Some 300 reporters are expected, many from Japanese media outlets.
Apparently many fans are opting to preorder.
Fanatics announced Wednesday that the Ohtani jersey set a sales record for a jersey in its first 48 hours of availability, beating the jersey drops for soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ohtani’s jersey was a strong seller for the six seasons he played for the Angels, hitting and pitching his way to becoming a two-time American League most valuable player, but his fame has hit a new level since he agreed to a 10-year, $700-million deal with the Dodgers on Saturday.
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