Playing against the World Series champions apparently didn't impress Hanshin Tigers outfielder Ikuro Katsuragi too much late Saturday morning.
With the game less than an hour away, Katsuragi was lounging leisurely on the Tokyo Dome floor reading a game program as if he didn't have a care in the world.
It was further evidence that in the era of Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japanese players are no longer in awe of their major league counterparts. They were, however, excited about the chance to show off their skills against some of the best players in the world.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.