People watch a livestream before the start of Game 3 of the baseball World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during a public viewing event in Oshu, northeastern Japan, the hometown of the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Tuesday, 8 October. 29, 2024.
17:10 JST, October 29, 2024
OSHU CITY, Japan (AP) — Signs around Shohei Ohtani’s birthplace in northern Japan proclaim him “The Pride of the City of Oshu.”
Maybe they should add “World Series Champion” soon.
Hundreds of fans flocked to a public viewing center in Ohtani’s hometown Tuesday morning — the country is 13 hours ahead of New York — to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-2 and take a 3-0 lead in the best- or -seven World Series. Those fans will certainly be on notice again Wednesday morning when Ohtani and the Dodgers get a chance to capture the championship.
“I’m extremely happy because the Dodgers – with Ohtani – have won three in a row and are one win away from the World Series title, Shoichi Segawa said.
Ohtani was hitless in the game, but the fans got what they came for during a long morning of baseball watching: a Dodgers win.
They lined up outside the Oshu City Cultural Center, a 500-seat auditorium, on a perfect fall morning to see their local hero perform live.
Many came dressed in Dodger Blue – caps or jerseys – and were provided with various noise makers, including thunder sticks. The hall was decorated with posters announcing Ohtani as “The Pride of Oshu City.”
Ohtani, who played two days after dislocating his left shoulder in Game 2, walked in his first at-bat. That drew wild cheers from the 250 fans in attendance, chanting “Go, Go.” Shohei.” Then came more cheering as the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead on Freddie Freeman’s home run.
He is more of a Japanese treasure than just a local (darling), said fan Hiromitsu Kikuchi. “I think he has gone beyond hometown and is more world class. We have never had such a star player from our hometown.”
Students from the Tokiwa kindergarten where Shohei Ohtani graduated watch a livestream of Game 3 of the baseball World Series between Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees during a public viewing event in Oshu, northeast Japan, the hometown of Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
Among the mostly older fans were about twenty children from the kindergarten Ohtani attended. They were equipped with small flags depicting Ohtani’s smiling face.
Several fans said they were worried Ohtani might not play, but left home when they got the good news.
I came to see Ohtani because the television news reported that he would be playing, said fan Tadashi Onodera. “It’s fantastic. We are proud to have such a player from our hometown.”
This is the city where Ohtani played Little League, played as a pitcher and hitter at Hanamaki Higashi High School and became the favorite son of Iwate Prefecture, a mountainous region bordering the Pacific Ocean.
His birthplace is about 500 kilometers north of Tokyo, a largely rural place far from the capital, with its hundreds of skyscrapers and luxurious wealth.
All eyes at the viewing were on the Dodgers superstar – and his left shoulder. His injury briefly put a damper on the Japanese mood from magical to gloomy.
Then came relief. The magic returned when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started Ohtani as the designated hitter and leadoff hitter in Game 3, which local fans and the entire baseball world wanted to see.
“I was worried (about the injury) but thought I would be fine,” said Masatoshi Honmyo, another local fan. “I would say he is a hero.”
