SEATTLE — On a night of theatrics, it was as if the 47,159 on hand had rehearsed.
As Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in the first inning, there were not boos or many cheers, but instead a clearly enunciated message.
“Come to Seattle,” an entire ballpark sang in unison Tuesday, as if their lungs could force his hand to sign on a dotted line.
On an annual night that is all about the platform — an event that can sometimes turn a useful player into a legend or a slugger into a superstar — it was not a player but Mariners fans who made the loudest statement.
The sweepstakes for Ohtani, who will be a free agent after this season and could become available at the trade deadline if the Angels opt to sell, has begun.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Ohtani said through an interpreter as his American League squad fell, 3-2, to the National League in the All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park.
“I definitely heard it. I was trying to focus on my at-bat.”
The first at-bat — a strikeout against Arizona’s Zac Gallen — did not matter much. Neither did his third-inning walk against San Francisco’s Alex Cobb.
What entertained most was tens of thousands of fans screaming and pleading for the two-way star, who might be the best player in the sport’s history.
“Every time I come here, the fans are passionate, they’re really into the game,” said Ohtani, who did not pitch. “So it’s very impressive.”
The Mariners will be one of 30 teams that try to court maybe the most enticing free agent in the history of Major League Baseball.
The Mets and Yankees likely will be heavy suitors, even if Ohtani did not much consider East Coast teams before he chose the Angels ahead of the 2018 season.
The Dodgers are presumed to be a strong contender, too, and Ohtani name-dropped Mookie Betts when asked about any player he admired.
Mets starter Kodai Senga, who was named to the All-Star Game but did not pitch because he said his top priority is staying healthy for the season, joked this week that he wanted to put a Mets cap on Ohtani to begin recruiting.
Senga, who called his catch-up with Ohtani this week “very brief,” heard the chants.
“It was just a reminder of how great he is and how loved he is by baseball fans,” Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara.
There were other stars out on an entertaining night. Luis Arraez, the unique Marlins contact hitter who is making a run at .400, saw two pitches: an 87 mph splitter from Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi and a 98 mph fastball from Seattle’s George Kirby.
He singled on both, the second knocking in the National League’s first run of the game in the fourth inning.
“Every time I watch him on TV, he gets base hits,” Ohtani said of Arraez, who hit .383 in the first half.
The Rays’ Randy Arozarena showed up, too, making a tremendous catch at the left-field wall to bail out Gerrit Cole in the first inning.
His teammate, Yandy Diaz — a first-time All-Star in his seventh season — gave the American League its first run and lead with a homer against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller in the second inning.
Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. appeared to tie the game in the seventh inning, but a replay review showed his homer went foul. Colorado’s Elias Diaz, a first-time All-Star in a nine-year career, then finished the comeback job with a two-run shot in the eighth inning against excellent Baltimore closer Felix Bautista to put the NL ahead to stay.
The American League put two on against Craig Kimbrel in the ninth, but the Phillies closer struck out Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez to end it.
The outcome of the game became a footnote as soon as the Pacific Northwest yelled to the skies. Zeroes on a contract likely will matter more, but the Mariners are the early leaders on decibels to lure Ohtani.
“I like the city, it’s good,” Ohtani said of Seattle, which made its voice heard.