TOKYO — They screamed.
They screamed and made that noise that crowds make when 1000’s of individuals scream on the identical time, that sound that’s heard when the house workforce takes a lead late in a playoff recreation.
Shohei Ohtani had taken the sphere — for a exercise.
“That,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy mentioned, “was a pretty cool moment for all of us to witness.”
Think about if Ohtani had really taken batting apply on Friday like a lot of the different Dodgers hitters. Think about the response of the ten,507 followers who packed the lower-bowl seats behind dwelling plate and the 2 foul strains on the Tokyo Dome.
The Dodgers are World Sequence champions. They’ve two high-profile Japanese gamers apart from Ohtani in opening-day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and rookie fireballer Roki Sasaki. They produce other signature gamers within the likes of Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
The gang’s response to Ohtani, nonetheless, re-established a longstanding fact in regards to the Dodgers: In Japan’s view, there’s Ohtani after which there’s everybody else.
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The Dodgers are the Rolling Stones and Ohtani is Mick Jagger.
“If not for Ohtani, I don’t think all of Japan would be in a frenzy like this,” mentioned Taka Hattori, a 51-year-old fan who wore a custom-made No. 17 jersey with “SHOTIME” embroidered throughout the again.
Followers cramped into a close-by 30,000-square-foot corridor that was remodeled into a brief memento retailer. Tons of confirmed up yesterday at Haneda Airport to catch a glimpse of the Dodgers, who arrived for the Tokyo Sequence, their season-opening, two-game set in opposition to the Chicago Cubs that begins on Tuesday.
Greater than 1,000 media credentials had been issued for the video games, that are offered out. The asking worth on the secondary marketplace for the least-expensive tickets are within the neighborhood of $1,500.
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Hattori paid 18,000 yen, or about $120, to hitch the Dodgers’ fan membership, which entered him right into a lottery for Japan Sequence tickets.
He didn’t win.
Hattori settled for the exercise on Friday, as he was in a position to buy tickets from a pal at their face worth of two,000 yen, or about $13.
“I personally really like Ichiro [Suzuki],” Hattori mentioned. “I was able to watch Ichiro play here on opening day. But it wasn’t like this.”
Hattori described Ohtani as being “from another universe.”
“Of course, Ohtani is a representative of Japan,” Hattori mentioned. “But it doesn’t matter any more whether he’s Japanese, American or Korean. I feel he’s reached the level at which he is not a representative of any particular country but is rather a representative of baseball.”
Runa Misaki traveled from her hometown of Osaka to look at the exercise along with her pal Yuko Hanashima.
Followers attempt on Dodgers caps at a memento retailer on the Tokyo Dome on Friday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
They mentioned they had been drawn to Ohtani as a lot by his persona as his performances.
“I think he really likes baseball,” Hanashima mentioned. “I think he likes baseball more than anyone. I think that’s why children like him so much.”
Misaki mentioned she would return to Tokyo on Sunday for an exhibition recreation in opposition to the Hanshin Tigers. Tickets for that recreation, in addition to for a recreation on Saturday in opposition to the Yomiuri Giants, are being offered on the secondary marketplace for upwards of $600.
“I would like them to open here every season,” Misaki mentioned.
Ohtani’s recognition right here is such that different Dodgers have additionally change into well-known by affiliation.
Followers waved en masse at supervisor Dave Roberts, who waved again. They shouted the names of Teoscar Hernández and Miguel Rojas. They shrieked with delight when Freeman acknowledged them with an affectionate wave of the glove.
In addition they watched batting apply with the identical focus with which they’d watch a recreation. Binoculars and cell phone cameras had been pointed on the batter’s field. Some followers noticed the motion whereas clutching sleeping infants. The conclusion of each spherical of batting apply was adopted by an applause.
Thoughts you, this was for a exercise. The primary official recreation was nonetheless 4 days away.
