Sho-time! Japan fans ecstatic as Ohtani becomes World Series champ / Photo: © AFP
Sho-time! Japan fans ecstatic as Ohtani becomes World Series champ
Fans celebrated wildly in Tokyo Thursday as baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani made their "dreams and hopes come true" by becoming a World Series winner.
The Los Angeles Dodgers came from behind to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in a wild fifth game to take the title 4-1 in Ohtani's first season since joining on the biggest contract in American sports history.
The 30-year-old is a national hero in Japan whose face adorns billboards and TV adverts all over the country.
"He's someone who makes the dreams and hopes of Japanese people come true. He's a big presence," 34-year-old Kenichi Masumura told AFP in Tokyo's Shibuya district.
Ohtani this year became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, a feat previously thought impossible. He can also pitch, drawing comparison with the legendary Babe Ruth.
"He has achieved things that no one else could and I think next year he will set records that no one could even imagine," said Masumura.
Chiho Hasegawa, a 40-year-old school nurse, said her seven-year-old son had become interested in baseball because of Ohtani.
"I can't believe that such an amazing person comes from Japan," she said.
"He's such a good influence on kids. It's great that a sportsperson is like that."
The World Series has been drawing record TV viewing audiences in Japan, where the games started at 9:00 am local time. Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also on the Dodgers roster.
But it was not only Japanese people enthralled in the nation where baseball is hugely popular. Around 60 fans, many of them tourists, were packed into Shibuya sports bar to lap up the action from New York.
- Ohtani impersonator -
Professional Ohtani impersonator Yoshiki Ideguchi was also there to hype up the crowd, wearing a full Dodgers uniform and posing with a bat every time the player appeared on screen.
"When I'm impersonating him, I try not to have much of an expression on my face, and I try to pay attention to the tone of my voice when I talk," he said.
"I also try not to say anything that would portray Ohtani in a bad light."
Ideguchi was a big hit with fans in the bar.
Daniel Kageyama, who lives in Los Angeles, said he had come to Japan for a honeymoon with his wife Cacy.
The couple booked their trip months in advance but the Dodgers' appearance in the World Series persuaded them to visit the bar instead of going sightseeing.
"It's insane," Kageyama said when asked about Ohtani's popularity in Japan.
"We see his face everywhere. Everyone supports Shohei. It's been great to be in this atmosphere, to be in the city."
Kageyama, a fourth-generation Japanese-American, said he was "super-proud" of Ohtani's achievements.
"It's super-awesome to see Ohtani succeed," said the 32-year-old.
"It makes you feel great to be Japanese and support a player like that, who's a once-in-a-generation type player."
The bar erupted when the Dodgers clinched the World Series with the final out.
Ohtani lookalike Ideguchi said he was "as happy as I would have been if I had won it".
On the streets outside it was lunchtime and people said they were happy that Ohtani had triumphed.
"I'm glad that they could clinch it today," said Masumura.
"It's great for him that he could finally fulfil his dream of playing in the postseason and winning the World Series."
(C.Fournier--LPdF)
