Shohei Ohtani touched down in Japan on Thursday night but was whisked away before any of the several hundred fans who made the trip to Tokyo‘s Haneda Airport could see him or any of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baseball’s biggest star finally appeared on Friday afternoon at Tokyo Dome, where a sizable crowd showed up to watch the Dodgers practice ahead of the Tokyo Series. The fans got their first look at him just before 4:30 p.m., when he jogged onto the field to cheers from the stands.
The MLB season-opening matchup between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs will feature five of Japan’s biggest stars. Still, in many ways, the series feels like a celebration of Ohtani, who receives the vast majority of attention from fans and media.
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