When the bottom of the Angels’ order came up to bat in the top of the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, the space between Section 120a and the field level concourse was desolate.

By the time Shohei Ohtani emerged from the Angels’ dugout, on deck leading up to his third plate appearance of the game, sparse foot traffic had turned into a traffic jam.

Fans had stopped walking, packing into the standing room area to get a glimpse of the two-way superstar. Yankee Stadium was barely visible from the concourse as fans jockeyed for position, some crouching to get the right angle with their cellphones, pressing record in unison as Ohtani stepped up to the plate.

A cluster of fans featured four jerseys: Aaron Judge, Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth and Ohtani. Those fans didn’t know each other. They simply gathered in that spot — with stars on their backs — to witness greatness.

That’s just one peek at the reception that Ohtani has received in the Bronx during this week’s Angels-Yankees series, his final stop at 161st Street before a highly anticipated dip into free agency this winter.

Ohtani could sign the first $500-million contract in MLB history when he hits the open market in the offseason. His numbers — as both an ace on the mound and slugger in the box — suggest he’s worth even more than that, a walking history book and face of the sport.

The Yankees are expected to be a contestant in the Ohtani sweepstakes, although contrary to their track record, they don’t necessarily profile as a frontrunner. Financials could take them out of contention as their payroll is already astronomical with nine-figure contracts invested in several stars. Plus, there’s the narrative that Ohtani would prefer to play for a team on the West Coast, a club that’s closer to home and a team that plays in better weather.

That’s not stopping Japanese fans in New York from recruiting their favorite player to pick the Bronx as his new home.

“That’d be amazing,” said Tak Miki, a Yankees fan and New Yorker of Japanese descent who’s been following Ohtani throughout his career. “It would be like when Hideki Matsui was on the Yankees. Big power hitter. Lefty. I think more fans and a lot of Japanese people would come to games, which is good for the Yankees, good for their revenue.”

Miki was wearing a throwback Team Japan Ohtani jersey, a black uniform with white pinᵴtriƥes. The 24-year-old said it would be “sick” if he could trade that jersey in for Yankees pinᵴtriƥes with Ohtani on the back when the star — hypothetically — signs with the Yankees.

“Last year they were saying the Mets were going to get him,” he said. “He’s going to be really expensive. I don’t know how that would work for the Yankees. I just hope he leaves the Angels. I feel bad for him [and Mike Trout]. They’re generational talents.”

Want to bet on MLB?

Jonathan Lee, a 22-year-old Yankees fan from Brooklyn, was sitting a few sections away from Miki wearing the same exact jersey.

“I want him to come here!” Lee said. “We want a player like him. He’s one of the best players right now. That’s what we like, that’s what the Yankees and their fans want. I think he’d fit perfectly.”

Can it actually happen? New York-based Japanese baseball writer Eriko Takehama explained that Ohtani would be a good fit with the Yankees because of his unwavering desire to win a World Series.

Remember the emotion Ohtani showed while competing in the World Baseball Classic earlier this spring? There are only a few teams in Major League Baseball that can supply that same level of competitiveness on a consistent basis and the Yankees are one of them. Sure, they already have Giancarlo Stanton as their designated hitter for the foreseeable future, but the Yankees can make it work.

“I think the mentality that Shohei has, that he wants to win, matches with how Yankees fans also want to win,” she said. “They want to win the World Series and that’s the one thing to Shohei really wants.”

Ohtani also loves to be on the biggest stage. That’s why he took batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, his first outdoor round of BP this entire season. He wanted to show off exactly what he can do in this ballpark, belting tape-measure shots including what must’ve been a 500-foot blast over the batter’s eye in center field.

“I think that he was trying to send some message,” Takehama said. “The fact that he actually talked to the media after a game as well, which was extremely rare. I think he has a little something in his head about New York. I think he’s thinking about it.”

Off the field, Ohtani would enjoy being in New York. Take it from Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who spent three seasons with the Yankees and gushed about his time in pinᵴtriƥes after throwing out Wednesday’s ceremonial first pitch.

“As a player, I had my ups and downs during my time in New York, but looking back, I only have great memories here,” Kuroda said, through an interpreter. “I think the fans will love it and I think Shohei himself will love it as well.”

Kuroda singled out the accessible food options in New York as a way to make it feel more like home. That might not seem like a pivotal selling point for a professional athlete, but Roger Kahlon — Matsui’s old interpreter — mentioned the same thing. So did Takehama.

Kahlon explained how Matsui took advantage of the Japanese restaurants at his disposal during his iconic tenure with the Yankees, developing a list of favorites over time. It was all traditional establishments, none of the flashy restaurants with bright lights. Kahlon was confident that Ohtani would quickly find his own go-to places as well, if he plays in New York.

“Here, it’s not like a pocket or a cluster of restaurants, it’s kind of spread out,” Kahlon explained. “Depending on what city you go to, selections can be very limited. So in that sense, New York is probably one of the only places where you’ve got a ton of selection when it comes to Japanese food.”

For what it’s worth, Ohtani spoke highly of Yankee Stadium during his press conference on Tuesday, calling the ballpark “a beautiful field with passionate fans.” He said that he always looks forward to playing in the Bronx. This week is more proof that the Bronx looks forward to when Ohtani comes to town.

Whether the Yankees can compete with teams like the Dodgers, Padres, Mariners, Mets and more remains to be seen. Who knows if Ohtani will even consider the Yankees. If he does end up in pinᵴtriƥes, Ohtani will instantly blossom into even more of a superstar.

“Everybody knows Ohtani. He’s a rock star,” Kahlon said. “He’d be more than welcome in New York, people are going to love him here. It’s like dynamite. Great for the community. Great for New York. And great for baseball.”