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© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Japan buzzing for Shohei Ohtani’s return in WBC
By STEPHEN WADE TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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plasticmonkey
Yep.
Ohtani is great, but it takes a team to win.
The media always hypes up these things ahead of time, and when team Japan loses, there's a big sob fest.
Mocheake
He seems to be the only player on the team. Does he play every position? I'd be willing to bet some serious yukichi that any so-called fan on the street couldn't name 3 other players. Some loud drunk Japanese guy was yelling "Ohtani!" over and over last night at the watering hole so I started yelling "Aaron Judge!" He didn't know what to make of it.
The Original Wing
This is absolutely correct. When Ohtani was playing in Japan, no one (except knowledgeable baseball fans) cared about him. There was no element of celebrity. No one was flying to Sapporo just to watch him play. No one was lining up at 8am to buy Ohtani uniforms at the Nippon-Ham Fighters team store.
As soon as he went to MLB and had big success, he became the biggest domestic star in all of Japan. Non-baseball fans started obsessing over him, and people started flying to Los Angeles just to see him live. Flights to Hokkaido three years ago would've been a lot cheaper!
TorafusuTorasan
@The OW--I can recall that Ohtani was under mass media scrutiny as a teenager because his stated plan to leave Japan, Nomo-style, before the requisite number of years served in NPB. The Fighters chairman had meetings assuring Ohtani that he could be a two way player for them, so he gave in and signed with them. That story made him a highly hyped prospect by the time he began his pro career.
kaimycahl
Great ball player but I think he will handle the pressure very well and not let the country put the weight on him. Yu is happy!