It all began with a dinner.
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters infielder Brandon Laird was out having dinner in Sapporo one night last year, when the chef delivered a serving of sushi that would spark a movement among Fighters fans.
"I went to dinner and the chef said, 'this is going to be your good-luck meal, this is going to get you started,' " Laird told The Japan Times. "He said if you hit a home run tomorrow you just gotta go like this (mimic making sushi). The next day, I hit a home run and started doing it."