MIYAZAKI, Japan -- When Shohei Ohtani is around, he is the main event. On Friday night in Nagoya, Samurai Japan -- Japan's national team -- had an exhibition game against NPB's Chunichi Dragons. This was before the start of the official World Baseball Classic camps, so Major League players weren't able to take part in the game.
That didn't matter to the packed house at the Vantelin Dome, though. That's because Ohtani came out for pregame BP. Once he stepped into the box, everyone -- and I mean everyone -- dropped what they were doing to watch. As Ohtani launched ball after ball over the outfield wall, his teammates stood and watched in awe. The fans lifted their cameras, and the Dragons players watched from their dugout, mouths agape in astonishment.
There's a reason for the excitement beyond Ohtani just being the most gifted player to ever take the field: In Los Angeles, the superstar rarely takes public BP. When he returns home to Japan, though, Ohtani usually greets his home country's fans with a spectacle.
Without Ohtani in the lineup, Japan defeated the Dragons, 5-3. Third baseman and reigning NPB Central League MVP Award winner Teruaki Sato hit a three-run home run, Hiroya Miyagi pitched three shutout innings, and flamethrowing right-hander Hiroto Takahashi -- who struck out Mike Trout and Paul Goldschmidt in the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game -- closed out the victory.
Ohtani and his fellow MLB players will join the lineup on March 2 when the Samurais take on the Orix Buffaloes for the first of two final tuneup games ahead of the tournament.