Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec responds to Shohei Ohtani plane drama

Blue Jays GM on Ohtani signing with Dodgers Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins spoke about the disappointment of learning Shohei Ohtani not signing with the team.

Three-time all-star Shohei Ohtani’s dramatic plane tracking saga left one Canadian amused – Shark Tank and Dragons' Den investor Robert Herjavec.

The Canadian businessman was onboard the plane Blue Jays fans were watching with bated breath on Friday in the hopes that Ohtani had boarded the jet to sign with Toronto.

To calm the chaos, Herjavec joked on Instagram Friday, “I’d like to thank the @bluejays organization for signing me today!”

But to the disappointment of Jays fans, Ohtani agreed to sign a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon.

Intense speculation began with rumours that Ohtani was "en route to Toronto," information which MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi has since retracted and apologized for on social media.

More than 3,000 people tracked what they believed to be the Japanese baseball player’s flight via FlightRadar24, making it the most-watched plane in the world at the time.

Anticipation has been building ever since the two-way star entered free agency after finishing the 2022-2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels.

“All joking aside - I’m not @shoheiohtani and he was not on my plane today! Not sure how it all started but I’m calling the jays and seeing if they’ll sign my 5 year old for 600 mil ( he WAS on the plane and throws a mean pitch),” Herjavec said in his post on Friday.

Herjavec’s post was accompanied by an image of the entrepreneur in a Jays jersey with the word “Signed” in all caps, and the text, “First player to host Dragon’s Den and lead MLB in home runs since Babe Ruth.”

Ohtani hit 44 home runs during the 2022-2023 season, the fourth-best in the league and nearly double that of Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He also led the MLB in on-base plus slugging at 1.066 per cent.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Abby O'Brien