Shohei Ohtani free agency frenzy sets internet ablaze with viral plane speculation

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On Friday, baseball fans everywhere thought that Shohei Ohtani was headed to Toronto for a meeting, and possibly signing, with the Blue Jays — and then he apparently wasn't.

Rumors swirled all day long that hinted the two-way superstar free agent was en route to Canada.

It all started when it was reported by MLB Network that Ohtani's decision on his next team was "imminent" and could be known on Friday.

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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels gestures during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

A post on X, formerly Twitter, went viral that said Blue Jays' Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi made reservations for 50 people at a Toronto sushi spot, but the big bolt came when Reddit users found there was a plane from Anaheim, California, where Ohtani played for the last six seasons, on its way to Toronto.

Thousands of people wound up searching for the flight online, patiently waiting for what they thought was Ohtani's arrival in the 4 p.m. hour.

MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi even said sources told him that Ohtani was en route to Toronto, and then another rumor swirled that the Blue Jays had called a 6 p.m. press conference.

However, everything died down relatively quickly after another report from USA Today said Ohtani "is NOT in Toronto,… is NOT on a flight to Toronto," and is "at home in southern California." The New York Post reported the same.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the game against the