Shohei Otani poked his head out of the hallway leading to the visitors' clubhouse at Tokyo Dome and mumbled a shy query about the whereabouts of Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters PR man Hisashi Hatanaka before disappearing again.
He was back a few minutes later, back against the wall and Hatanaka just outside a circle of reporters, answering questions in soft tones.
Now a year into his pro career, such gatherings are routine for Otani. He was the center of attention during his rookie season, and as much as the soft-spoken 19-year-old demurs, baseball observers are again preparing to parse his every move on the field.