Shohei Ohtani’s Japanese hometown watches LA Dodgers reach brink of World Series

Signs around Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan proclaim him “The Pride of Oshu City”.

They may be able to proclaim him as a World Series champion soon.

Hundreds of fans filed into a public viewing centre in Ohtani’s hometown on Tuesday morning to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-2 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series.

Those fans will surely be tuned in again on Wednesday morning AEDT, when Ohtani and the Dodgers have a chance to clinch 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 fans got what they came for over a long morning of watching baseball: a Dodgers victory.

They lined up outside the Oshu City Cultural Center, a 500-seat auditorium, to watch their local hero in a live telecast.

Many came dressed in Dodger Blue — caps or jerseys — and were supplied with various noisemakers, including thunder sticks. The hall was adorned with posters announcing Ohtani as “The Pride of Oshu City”.

Ohtani, playing two days after dislocating his left shoulder in game two, drew a walk on his first at-bat. That drew wild cheers from the 250 fans attending, who chanted: “Go, Go. Shohei.” 

Then came even more cheers when the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead on Freddie Freeman’s home run.

“He’s more like a Japanese treasure than just a local [treasure],” said fan Hiromitsu Kikuchi.

“I think he has passed beyond the hometown and is more like world class. We have never had a star player like this before from our hometown.”

Among the mostly older fans were about 20 children from the kindergarten that Ohtani attended. They came equipped with small flags emblazoned with Ohtani’s smiling face.

Several fans said they were worried Ohtani might not play but set out from home when they got the good news.

“I came to see Ohtani because the television news reported that he would play,” said Tadashi Onodera. “It’s fantastic. We are proud to have such a player from our hometown.”

This is the town where Ohtani played as a child, starred as a pitcher and hitter at Hanamaki Higashi High School, and became the favourite son of Iwate Prefecture, a mountainous region abutting the Pacific Ocean.

His hometown is located about 500 kilometres north of Tokyo, a largely rural place far from the capital.

All eyes at the viewing were on the Dodgers superstar — and his left shoulder. His injury briefly cast a pall and flipped Japan’s mood from magic to morose.

Then came relief. The magic returned as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started Ohtani as the designated hitter and leadoff hitter in game three, what local fans and all of baseball wanted to see.

“I was concerned [about the injury] but believed it would be OK,” said Masatoshi Honmyo, another local fan. 

“I would say he is a hero.”

AP