Major League Baseball action officially resumes on Tuesday at the Tokyo Dome with a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, a series that stands out for the presence of five Japanese players: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki for the Dodgers, and Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga for the Cubs.
The opening game will mark a historic moment with the first matchup between Japanese pitchers on Opening Day. Yamamoto will be the starter for the Dodgers, while Imanaga will take the ball for the Cubs. Yamamoto was instrumental in the World Series title with a 3.00 ERA in 2023, while Imanaga had an outstanding rookie season with a 15-3 record and 2.91 ERA.
And when it comes to milestones, the two-way star Shohei Ohtani achieved another feat on the eve of Opening Day, while enjoying the idolatry of his countrymen, reaching 9 million followers on Instagram. His impact transcends the playing field and is reflected in his enormous global popularity.
Ohtani, the fan magnet
Beyond baseball, the fever for Ohtani does not stop. His image dominates a gigantic souvenir store in the Tokyo Dome, considered by MLB to be the largest in history for a special event. Thousands of fans have waited up to an hour to enter and purchase products with his face and the iconic number 17.
The record $700 million contract the Dodgers offered him not only strengthened the team, but also increased business interest across the Pacific. With the opening games just around the corner, the Ohtani phenomenon is on the rise.
The frenzy among Japanese fans will increase as Tuesday and Wednesday’s games approach, as the Dodgers and MLB take full advantage of the presence of their star player, who signed his million-dollar 10-year contract in the 2023 offseason.
For the second game, scheduled for Wednesday, the Dodgers will rely on the talent of young Roki Sasaki, the latest jewel to arrive at the franchise and who kept all the fans on tenterhooks until he made the decision to start his career in MLB with the World Series champions
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