Six enormous Japanese lanterns took their place on the warning track, spotlights illuminating them inside the Tokyo Dome. LED lights, attached to special Tokyo Series wristbands for the 45,000 fans, lit up.
A special video essay, written by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi – an avowed lover of international baseball – illuminated the special shared bond between the United States and Japan, the game connecting these two nations across the Pacific Ocean.
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Traditional Japanese musicians then began to play: It was time for the starting lineups to be announced. The players raced onto the field to the sound of enormous taiko drums, the sound of thunder heralding their entrance.
Vocal group Little Glee Monster then sang both the U.S. and Japanese national anthems.
Finally, former Cubs pitcher and 2013 Red Sox World Series champion Koji Uehara came to throw out the first pitch. Shota Imanaga crouched behind the plate, framing Uehara’s pitch back into the strike zone.