Yomiuri Giants reliever Kyosuke Takagi made his return to baseball essentially under cover of darkness Friday. But even with the Tokyo Dome lights off for the opening-day ceremony, Takagi's presence was illuminated by the chorus of boos emanating from the Hanshin Tigers fans in left field.
The Tigers supporters were even more forceful in their disdain once they could see the left-hander properly, when he made his season debut during the eighth inning with the lights shining bright.
Takagi's actual pitching performance was mostly unremarkable. He allowed a hit to the first batter he faced and was soon back in the dugout after recording three quick outs. The more interesting part of the night was how he was received and whether it was a one-off occurrence or a sign of things to come from opposing fans.