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Baseball-Japanese baseball fans flock to LA for playoff-bound Ohtani

The waves of Japanese travelers that have actually come down on Dodger Stadium since Shohei Ohtani signed up with the club this season might offer a boost to the Japanese sensation as he embarks on his first MLB postseason this weekend.

Ohtani-mania was on complete screen hours before a recent video game at the picturesque ballpark in Los Angeles, with fans freshly off their flights from Japan loading appreciation on their nation's hero.

He's a genius baseball player, said Kyoko Shiratani.

We are so pleased with him.

Outfitted in a pristine white Ohtani jersey, Reiko Shimada indicated another quality that has drawn fans to the slugger.

He's good-looking! she stated with a laugh.

Inside the stadium the impact of the fans was clear from Japanese-language product to food that included bento boxes, sushi and fried octopus.

A lot of teams used to get panned for having sushi at their ballparks today it's cool because of the Ohtani impact, Chris Koenig, executive director of Dodgers 365, said with a smile.

Ohtani joined the Dodgers on a record 10-year, $700 million handle the winter season and regardless of not pitching this year as he recovers from elbow surgery, the slugger has actually had a season for the ages.

Swapping out his fastball for blistering speed on the base courses, he completed the season with a career-high 54 home runs and 59 taken bases to end up being the very first member of MLB's 50/50 club.

The heroics of Ohtani, who is widely anticipated to win his 3rd profession MVP award this season, has actually stimulated Japanese tourists to pour in regardless of the weak yen, that makes the trip to Southern California an expensive one.

We have actually taken most likely 10 times as lots of Japanese fans on trips this season as in previous years, said Marina Fote, who has actually been a tour guide at the stadium for the past 10 seasons.

Ohtani never appeared in the playoffs in his 6 seasons with the Angels and will get his first taste of postseason intensity when the Dodgers host the rival San Diego Padres in Video Game One in the Division Season on Saturday.

WORLD SERIES PROSPECT LURES FANS

Playing baseball in October and the tantalizing possibility of making the World Series has sent out interest in Ohtani into overdrive, Koenig said.

He applauded the influx of Dodger fans from Japan for their understanding of the sport and noted the long ties between the ball club and the nation.

That history is reflected in the eight-foot-tall (2.44 m) 3,921-pound (1779 kg) Kasuga-style stone lantern talented to the Dodgers from Japan in 1965, which features prominently at the arena's leading deck.

Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles now features a 150-foot tall mural of Ohtani, too.

It's a very thoughtful and excited demographic of people taking a trip to LA, a few of them for the first time, Koenig said.

The reality that they are putting Dodger Stadium at the top of their itinerary says a lot.

In a sign of the nation's continuous impact on MLB, Ohtani isn't the only Japanese star involved in the best-of-five NLDS.

For Video Game One the Dodgers will send to the mound Japanese right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who likewise signed up with the Dodgers in the offseason.

The Padres lineup on the other hand consists of 2 Japanese pitchers - former Dodger Yu Darvish and reducer Yuki Matsui.

Koenig said he expects Ohtani's draw only growing in the years to come.

We plan to scale up as demand boosts, he said.

He will pitch next year and there's a lot enjoyment around that.

(source: Reuters)