Sawt Falasteen - Ohtani fever heats up in Dodgers' Tokyo exhibition game

Ohtani is in the Japanese capital with the World Series champion Dodgers to open the Major League Baseball season with two games against the Chicago Cubs next week.

The 30-year-old was in action as the Dodgers took on Japan's Yomiuri Giants in a warm-up game at the Tokyo Dome, which was packed to its 45,000-capacity rafters.

He gave the crowd what they were looking for, smacking a huge home run in the third inning.

Yurie Sakamune, who was at the game with her husband Junji, told AFP that the couple had entered 10 times into a lottery to buy tickets and had paid 50,000 yen ($335) in total after snagging a pair.

"It's like a dream," said the 30-year-old, dressed in a Dodgers uniform with Ohtani's name and number 17 on the back.

"I've been working every day to see Ohtani and I've put up with all the tough times for this. It's become like a life goal to see him."

A huge cheer went up as Ohtani stepped to the plate to open the game, drawing a walk from Giants starting pitcher Shosei Togo.

It was Ohtani's first game in Japan since he helped his country win the World Baseball Classic two years ago in Tokyo.

But it was his first ever appearance in an MLB uniform in his home country, having left Japan for the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 before joining the Dodgers in late 2023.

"Shohei, to be quite honest, in the last seven years has represented almost single-handedly the people of Japan," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game.

"So for him to come back here in person, it's going to be an emotional night for a lot of people."

- Excitement building -

Excitement has been building for Ohtani's visit, with around 500 fans waiting for the Dodgers to arrive at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Thursday.

Thousands more paid 2,000 yen ($13) each to watch the team practice the following day, with Ohtani emerging for a brief work-out lasting about 10 minutes.

The slugger, who has been described as a modern-day Babe Ruth, gave fans more for their money against the Giants.

"It's really cool," said American Dodgers fan Michael Artukovic, who travelled from his home in San Francisco just to watch the game.

"A lot is going on in our country where we're becoming insular.

"It's great to see this where people from all over the world are coming to a baseball game in another country."

The Dodgers play another warm-up game against Japan's Hanshin Tigers on Sunday, before starting their two-game series against the Cubs on Tuesday.

The vast majority of fans at the Tokyo Dome were wearing Dodgers uniforms, although there was also a smattering of support for the Giants, Japan's most successful team.

Atsuko Onuma told AFP she was rooting for the Giants but said she had also come to see Ohtani.

She confessed she would have "mixed feelings" if he were to hit a home run.

"I want to see it but I also want to suppress that feeling," she said.

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST