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’ massive free agent signing from over the weekend, a store employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Times over the phone Wednesday afternoon.
The employee said the store has replica Ohtani jerseys available for $238 (including tax) in large, XL and 2XL sizes and in both men’s and women’s styles. The limited players jerseys are not yet available.
The Dodgers did not immediately respond to questions from The Times regarding this story.
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 official online shop, which is run by Fanatics, has the replica jerseys available for pre-order at $134.99 (before taxes). The site states explicitly, “This item will not ship in time for Christmas delivery.”
While too late for Santa, the pre-ordered 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 Feb. 6 and the women’s no later than Feb. 15.
Ohtani limited player jerseys are also available for pre-order at $174.99 (before taxes). Those are said to be shipping no later than March 1.
Apparently many fans are opting to pre-order. Fanatics announced Wednesday that the Ohtani jersey has 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 is a two-way phenomenon and two-time American League MVP who spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Angels. After agreeing to a 10-year, $700-million deal with the Dodgers on Saturday, he is set to be introduced during a news conference Thursday at 3 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.
