Boos rained down as Shohei Ohtani appeared on the Angel Stadium video board.

In this awful season, the first since Ohtani moved on from his former club, the ballpark is rarely full. The fanbase has tired of elevated hopes turning into debilitating disappointment. Swaths of empty seats are a nightly occurrence.

But that night, opening night, was an exception. The ballpark was filled, sold out, and lively. Before the game started, the Angels renewed their tradition — Calling All Angels by Train played alongside a montage of the team’s history.

When shots of Ohtani, an undeniably massive part of that history, appeared, a cascade of anger spilled out of those present. The Angel-turned-Dodger was given the traitor’s treatment.

Ohtani will return to Angel Stadium on Tuesday night for his first regular season game at the ballpark he called home for six years. And when he does, the Dodgers’ $700 million man should receive a raucous ovation from the fans that once adored him.

Wearing their uniform, Ohtani did things unheard of on a modern baseball field, and in a relatively short time, cemented himself as an all-time Angels great. He was a two-time MVP, two-time Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year and finished fourth in Cy Young voting.

In his final three seasons, he crushed 124 homers, drove in 290 runs and posted an .964 OPS. In that same span, he recorded a 2.84 ERA over 428 1/3 innings on the mound. His WHIP at just 1.051. His numbers were outrageous, and his presence made every night — and certainly every start — feel more like an event, elevating an otherwise moribund franchise. He should get a hero’s welcome.

“I’m sure they’ll embrace him, he was 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 watch him play for a that many years. See him break records, win MVPs.”

“I think the fanbase will be excited to have him back,” said Angels manager Ron Washington. “He’s one of the best players in baseball. For his baseball acumen, I’m more than certain that the fans miss it. And they’re gonna love to see it again.”

Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts agreed.

“Them not winning there had nothing to do with his performance,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “… I think the fans will receive him really well with gratitude and appreciation.”

Ohtani did receive a warm ovation from a mix of both fanbases when he returned for an exhibition game in March. But the sentiment toward Ohtani remains mixed, at best.

Fans do have every justifiable reason to be mad that Ohtani is not on their team anymore. They can be steamed that he’s playing for their big brother rivals. Those emotions, however, should not be directed at the player himself.

It was Angels owner Arte Moreno who decided against actively pursuing Ohtani in free agency. His agent, Nez Balelo, said that the Angels had “every opportunity” 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 pressure-filled at-bats with the Dodgers than the Angels. He called out the question.

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

Ohtani said he can’t know if he would have accepted a theoretical Angels’ offer.

“It’s hard to tell, obviously the offer did not come to fruition,” he said on Monday. “It’s really a situation where it’s more of an ‘if they did,’ So I can’t really speak on that.”

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

The fanbase should applaud Ohtani for even contemplating a new contract in Anaheim. For years, Moreno and his front office surrounded the world’s greatest player with a roster that could not back him up.

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

His homers in Angels losses became a joke within the sport. Instead of indulging in the humor, complaining about the on-field product or just bolting at the first chance he could, he’s remained classy and thankful to his first big league team.

“For me, it’s a special place,” Ohtani said, noting he still keeps tabs on the Angels. “I spent the most time compared to other stadiums — being 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 countenance any of that.

Hearing that begs a pretty obvious question. What exactly was he supposed to do? The Dodgers were willing to spend. The Angels were not.

“The vitriol for Ohtani amongst Halos fans is that he’s playing for the crosstown 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 lifetime Angels fans.

“If he would have went to Toronto, I would be an Ohtani fan still,” Richter added. “Not maybe the same level when he was with the Angels, but I would 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 when you leave their team for their rival. It truly 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 be a playoff team if Ohtani had agreed to stay. Still, his return highlights a stark contrast between these two SoCal ball clubs. And heightens the emotions that the Angels fanbase might feel as he steps into the batters box.

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

If they were to follow through on that plan, and actually do nothing, it would be a mistake. A bad one.

The team delivered a classy pre-game gesture before his pre-season exhibition game in March. They played a video and congratulated him on his MVP. The fans in the lightly filled stadium applauded, Ohtani waved.

Ohtani waving to fans before an Angels-Dodgers exhibition game this spring. (Harry How / Getty Images)

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

While the Angels did take down his stadium mural just hours after he signed with the Dodgers, they also still recognize him as part of their history, featuring him in that Calling All Angels video, and with signage/memorabilia around the ballpark. Tuesday, however, represents a chance to honor that history, with him in the flesh. It shouldn’t matter what uniform he’s wearing.

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, or not honor, their ex-superstar, the Angels fans — however many show up — should be on their feet when No. 17 walks to the plate.

He poured everything he could into this place. The reason he’s no longer there has everything to do with organizational frugality and incompetence. Hopefully, the moment is a positive one for all involved, and then the competitive juices can flow. That’s baseball. That’s sports. Do everything you can to beat your opponent.

“Hopefully when we do play him, we’re able to shut him down,” Washington said. “That’s what I want to do. Shut Ohtani down.”

But whether they shut him down, or he hits a home run, that respect and appreciation for Ohtani should never waver. He’s earned that much.

The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya contributed reporting to this story.