Sawt Falasteen - Hundreds of fans vie for glimpse of homecoming MLB hero Ohtani

The World Series champion Dodgers, led by Japanese slugger Ohtani, will open the new Major League Baseball season with two games against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome next week.

Ohtani is an icon in Japan and excitement is reaching fever pitch for his first games for the Dodgers in his home country since joining the club at the end of 2023.

But the roughly 500 fans who waited at Tokyo's Haneda airport did not get a chance to welcome their hero, with strict security measures in place.

TV images showed the plane touching down but cut away before the players disembarked.

Organisers had asked fans and media not to come to the airport to avoid big crowds.

Ohtani posted a picture from his plane seat on social media with the caption "I'm back".

He also posted a video showing his dog Dekopin in a moving car.

Earlier, the Dodgers posted a video of the team boarding the plane in Arizona.

When Ohtani was asked what he planned to do for the 12-hour flight, he replied "just sleep".

Media reports said his wife Mamiko, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, did not join him on the trip.

Ohtani joined the Dodgers in December 2023 on a 10-year deal worth $700 million, at the time the biggest deal in American sporting history.

He led the Dodgers to win the World Series in October, beating the New York Yankees 4-1.

Ohtani last played a game in Japan at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

He helped his country qualify for the championship round in Miami, where they beat the United States in the final.

Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki also play for the Dodgers.

A.AlHaj--SF-PST