Walking through the bustling Tokyo Dome concourse on Thursday night was like being dropped into a living, breathing exhibition dedicated to Shohei Ohtani.
There were 41,616 fans in attendance at Tokyo Dome for Japan's first game of the World Baseball Classic against China, and as many of them snaked through the corridor at the Big Egg, they formed a vibrant gallery depicting Ohtani’s rise through the game.
There were Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters uniforms, from the era when Ohtani was just starting to poke at established tradition by becoming a two-way player. There were also Los Angeles Angels uniforms, representing the current era when Ohtani has all but perfected his two-way art and become perhaps the best player in the world. Other fans donned Ohtani’s Samurai Japan uniform, the same one he wore when he made his memorable debut in the WBC in Japan’s 8-1 win over China on Thursday.
"It was really special," Ohtani said after the game. “China was also playing great baseball. It was a great game and everybody contributed to the win."
Ohtani’s first game for Samurai Japan since the Premier12 in 2015 lived up to the hype. He was perfect for most of his night on the mound and struck out five over four innings. He was also 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two walks at the plate.
"There is no doubt it was a tough situation for him since it's been some time since his last game in America," Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama said. "However, I was able to call on him, even under such pressure, and he had this kind of game.
"I'm sure everyone who saw the game saw him really enjoy baseball and really try to win the game. I think that's his character."
Ohtani was the unanimous selection for American League MVP in 2021 and the runner-up for the award last season. He has a career 2.96 ERA as a pitcher and 127 home runs as a hitter in the major leagues, where he has played since 2018. He has been the face of Japan’s WBC effort since announcing his intention to play in November.
Ohtani has been the talk of Pool B at Tokyo Dome. His teammates are happy to play with him and opponents are eager to face him. His presence is all around the venue, on advertisements inside and outside and on monitors playing commercials that star him.
Many players and coaches have also been peppered with questions about what it will be like to compete with and against Ohtani during the WBC.
“This is the first time I met Shohei Ohtani in person,” China’s Xin Qi said. “I feel glad to compete on the same field as him. He is big and strong and his velocity is very high. He’s very impressive.”
Ohtani rose to the occasion on Thursday with the type of performance only he could credibly attempt — let alone deliver.
“There aren’t a lot of chances to see it in Japan, there is only this opportunity, so I was a little overwhelmed at first,” Japan second baseman Shugo Maki said of playing behind Ohtani.
Ohtani’s pitching kept China off the scoreboard early in the game, when the Chinese were able to keep things closer than expected.
He gave himself some breathing room in the fourth, with Japan hanging on to a 1-0 lead. Lars Nootbaar and Kensuke Kondo singled to set up Ohtani with runners on the corners. He responded with a double off the wall to drive in both runners.
"Just a little more, and it would have been a home run," Ohtani said. "It would have been really nice if it had been a little longer."
Ohtani was the main attraction against China, but he had help.
Nootbaar finished with a pair of hits and scored two runs in his first game with the national team, and Takuya Kai drove in a pair of runs with a double in the eighth. Maki hit the team's first homer of the WBC in the seventh.
Ohtani, however, was the player many of the fans came to see, and it was not just those in the stands trying to catch a glimpse of the most unique talent in baseball.
“I think we all kind of watch him,” Nootbaar said. “We do our work but we also are watching him, and I think we do it out of respect but also, he's the best baseball player on the planet, so I think we would be foolish not to do that.
“So it's impressive. I said it the other day to one of my buddies, I watched him throw a bullpen where he probably hit a 100 (160.9 kilometers per hour). Saw him hit home runs off the back of the dome, two homers, and saw him squat 450 (204 kilograms), 500 pounds after that. So it's pretty impressive. You know, it's stuff that you can't even make up. Playing with him is an unbelievable honor, something that, like I said before, I don't think any of us take for granted.”
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