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Shohei Ohtani sends Ashley Kelly, wife of Dodgers reliever Joe, a Porsche as thank you for husband's jersey number

The #Ohtake17 social media campaign paid off in a big way

sean leahy
Contributing writer
·1 min read
Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million deal to join the Dodgers earlier this month. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million deal to join the Dodgers earlier this month. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Ashley Kelly's #Ohtake17 social media campaign for Shohei Ohtani to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and take her husband's No. 17 has paid off.

First, Ohtani, the dual-threat superstar, signed a massive, 10-year, $700 million deal to join the Dodgers, bolstering an already strong World Series contender. Secondly, the wife of Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly offered up her husband's No. 17 while also changing the name of couple's baby, Kai, to ShoKai.

It all led to Ohtani thanking them with a special gift. On Saturday, Ashley Kelly opened her front door to a special delivery from Ohtani: a new Porsche.

"It's yours. From Shohei," Ashley was told. "He wanted to gift you a Porsche."

It's the season of giving, after all, so why not offer up a brand-new car as a way of saying thanks for allowing you to get your preferred number back?

Kelly, who will now wear No. 99, said he would only give up No. 17, which he's worn since 2019, for a special someone.

“I wasn’t going to give it up to just anybody,” Kelly said earlier this month. “If Shohei keeps performing, he’ll be a future Hall of Famer and I’ll be able to have my number retired. That’s the closest I’ll get to the Hall of Fame.”