People in Shohei Ohtani's home prefecture and cities across Japan were elated on Sunday by news of the two-way star's record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani grew up in the small city of Oshu in Iwate Prefecture, before rising to stardom in Japanese baseball and then as an international sports phenomenon.
"I can't take my eyes off Ohtani's moves," said an excited Tsubasa Kamata, a 41-year-old from Morioka, the prefecture's capital city. "It's impressive that he has agreed to the biggest contract ever. I hope he'll do his best without pushing himself too hard or getting injured."