Ashley Kelly, the wife of relief pitcher Joe Kelly, was the driving force behind the campaign to sign the Japanese superstar.

In a recent Instagram reel, Kelly revealed that their 7-month-old child, previously named Kai, is now named ‘Shokai’, a clever nod to the player’s name. Her ‘Ohtake17′ campaign, which cleverly incorporated Ohtani’s name and her willingness to relinquish the Kelly family’s jersey number, received significant support from LA fans.

Ashley Kelly warmly welcomed Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers, showcasing her collection of jerseys and Dodgers gear in various sizes for the ’17’ campaign. She even displayed a jersey with ‘Mama’ on the back for Ohtani’s mother and a bedazzled ’17’ baseball cap for him or his supporters. Additionally, she presented a crewneck featuring a mural of her husband, joking that a face-swap design could easily be arranged.

Despite the possibility of Joe Kelly relinquishing his ’17’ jersey, Ashley Kelly expressed her continued support by stating that she would still wear a long sleeve shirt with ‘Zaddy’ on it, as she agreed with the sentiment.

Reports earlier in the week suggested that Joe Kelly, aged 35, had his contract extension declined but was offered another 1-year contract by Dodgers management. It was rumored that he was approached about giving up his ’17’ jersey, to which he had no objections, with rumors indicating that he may revert to his previous ’58’ jersey number.