Boos rang out as Shohei Ohtani appeared on the video screen at Angel Stadium.

In this terrible season, the first since Ohtani left his former club, the stadium is rarely full. The fan base is fed up with seeing high expectations turn into crippling disappointments. Every night there are empty seats.

But that night, opening night, was an exception. The stadium was full, sold out and alive. Before the game began, the Angels renewed their tradition — Calling All Angels by Train was played alongside a montage of team history.

When shots of Ohtani, an undeniably large part of that history, appeared, a cascade of anger poured out of the crowd. The Angel-turned-Dodger was getting the traitor treatment.

Ohtani returns to Angel Stadium on Tuesday night for his first regular-season game in the ballpark he’s called home for six years. And when he does, the Dodgers’ $700 million franchise should get a loud ovation from the fans who once adored him.

In their uniform, Ohtani did things never before seen on a modern baseball field and in a relatively short time established himself as an all-time Angels great. He was a two-time MVP, a two-time Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year and finished fourth in Cy Young voting.

In his final three seasons, he hit 124 home runs, drove in 290 runs, and had an OPS of .964. During that same span, he posted a 2.84 ERA in 428 1/3 innings on the mound. His WHIP was just 1.051. His numbers were outrageous, and his presence made every night — and certainly every start — feel like an event, elevating an otherwise struggling franchise. He should be given a hero’s welcome.

“I’m sure they’ll embrace him, he’s been a big part of this team for a long time,” said Angels catcher Matt Thaiss, who was Ohtani’s teammate for five years. “I think a lot of the fans are grateful to see him play for so many years. Seeing him break records, win MVPs.”

“I think the fans are going to be happy to have him back,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He’s one of the best players in baseball. I’m more than sure the fans are going to miss his baseball acumen. And they’re going to be thrilled to have him back.”

Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts agreed.

“The fact that they didn’t win there had nothing to do with his performance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “… I think the fans are going to receive him very well with gratitude and appreciation.”

Ohtani received warm applause from a mix of both fan bases when he returned for an exhibition game in March, but sentiment toward Ohtani remains mixed at best.

Fans have every reason to be angry that Ohtani is no longer in their team. They may be angry that he is playing for their great rivals. However, those emotions should not be directed at the player himself.

It was Angels owner Arte Moreno who decided not to actively approach Ohtani in free agency. His agent, Nez Balelo, said the Angels had “every chance” to make a competitive offer and that “the Angels are special to Shohei.”

In April, Ohtani was asked in Japanese about getting more important and stressful at-bats with the Dodgers than with the Angels. He yelled the question.

“I love the Angels and I love the fans,” he replied. “I think that would be disrespectful to the Angels.”

Ohtani said he doesn’t know if he would have accepted a theoretical offer from the Angels.

“It’s hard to say, the offer clearly didn’t go through,” he said Monday. “It’s really a situation where it’s more of a ‘if they did,’ so I can’t really talk about that.”

Yet it is clear that he respects his former employer. And it is completely unfair to blame him for leaving, as there was no viable financial or competitive reason for him to return.

The fan base should commend Ohtani for even considering a new contract in Anaheim. For years, Moreno and his front office surrounded the best player in the world with a roster that couldn’t support him.

The Angels went 223-263 from 2021-23. They never finished with more than 77 wins in a season. They never played a meaningful September game. The Angels provided him with a comfortable environment. But not a winning one.

His home runs in Angels losses became a joke within the sport. Instead of indulging in the humor, complaining about the on-field product or simply walking away at the first opportunity, he has remained classy and grateful for his first big team.

“For me, it’s a special place,” said Ohtani, who noted that he still watches the Angels. “I’ve spent the most time there compared to other stadiums — I’ve been able to spend the time playing in front of the fans.”

The Angels are 25 1/2 games worse than their Los Angeles counterparts. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball. The Angels are the worst in the AL West.

The Dodgers are paying him $700 million over 10 years and agreed to his salary deferral plan. The Angels wouldn’t tolerate any of that.

When you hear that, a pretty obvious question arises. What exactly was he supposed to do? The Dodgers were willing to spend money. The Angels weren’t.

“The vitriol for Ohtani among Halos fans is that he plays for the cross-town rivals,” said Chuck Richter, a lifelong Angels fan who runs an online Angels message board and hosts an Angels podcast. “There is real hate for the Dodgers by most lifelong Angels fans.

“If he had gone to Toronto, I would still be an Ohtani fan,” Richter added. “Maybe not to the same level as when he was with the Angels, but I hope he would win a World Series with the Blue Jays.”

Sports fandom isn’t always nuanced and rational. The die-hards don’t like it when you leave their team for their rival. It really can be that simple, even if it shouldn’t be.

The Dodgers would have been a strong team even without Ohtani. The Angels wouldn’t have been a playoff team if Ohtani had agreed to stay. Still, his return underscores a stark contrast between these two SoCal baseball clubs. And it heightens the emotions the Angels fan base may feel when he steps into the batter’s box.

On Monday, the Angels said they had no plans to honor Ohtani for Tuesday’s game. A spokesman noted that it’s possible that could change.

If they were to execute that plan and actually do nothing, that would be a mistake. A bad one.

The team made a classy gesture before his March exhibition game, showing a video and congratulating him on his MVP. Fans in the light-filled stadium applauded, Ohtani waved.

Ohtani waves to fans before an exhibition game between the Angels and Dodgers this spring. (Harry How/Getty Images)

It was fun, but it was also spring training. Like most starters, he was probably home before the game was over. For a player who has meant so much to a team and its history, Ohtani deserves more than that.

Even though the Angels removed his stadium mural just hours after he signed with the Dodgers, they still recognize him as part of their history, with him in that Calling All Angels video and with signs/memorabilia around the stadium. Tuesday, however, is a chance to honor that history, with him in person. It shouldn’t matter what uniform he wears.

There will be a lot of Dodgers fans in attendance. Maybe even more than half the crowd. But no matter how the Angels organization chooses to honor their former superstar, or not, Angels fans — no matter how many show up — should be on their feet when number 17 walks to the plate.

He put everything he could into this place. The reason he’s gone is because of organizational austerity and incompetence. Hopefully, the moment is positive for everyone involved, and then the competitive juices can flow. That’s baseball. That’s sports. Do everything you can to beat your opponent.

“Hopefully, if we let him play, we can shut him down,” Washington said. “That’s what I want to do. Shut Ohtani down.”

But whether they take him out, whether he hits a home run, that respect and appreciation for Ohtani must never waver. He’s earned it.

The AthleticsFabian Ardaya contributed to the reporting of this story.

(Top photo: Tim Heitman/Getty Images)