Shohei Ohtani Receives Multiple Standing Ovations During Dodgers Game in Japan
Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in Japan to get the 2025 MLB season under way. Ohtani is making his triumphant return to Japan after playing seven seasons in Major League Baseball. Previously, Ohtani played five years in Japan for the Hakkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, where he hit 48 home runs in 403 games. Ohtani returns to Tokyo, Japan a three-time MVP and World Series champion. Ohtani and the Dodgers are in Tokyo to play the Chicago Cubs in MLB’s Tokyo Series. The club’s first two games will be the first of the 2025 MLB season on March 18 and 19. Prior to the first pitch on the season, the Dodgers took on the Yomiuri Giants inside the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night. During his second at-bat in the third inning, Ohtani sent the crowd inside the Tokyo Dome into a frenzy, when he launched a towering home run into the right field stands.
After the game, Ohtani spoke with reporters and explained his feelings during his home run at-bat.
“With so many fans in the stands, it really felt like I’ve come back (home) after a long time,” Ohtani told Japanese reporters. “I think it was a great at-bat.” With Ohtani’s reputation to raise his game during high leverage moments, his own catcher, Will Smith, was “surprised” Ohtani didn’t create a viral moment in his first at-bat. “I’m surprised it took two at-bats, honestly,” Smith said. Technically, Ohtani received two standing ovations on Saturday night, one after the monstrous home run, the other prior to his walk up to his first at-bat.
The Dodgers next exhibition game will be against the Hanshin Tigers on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Tokyo, which is 8 p.m. on Saturday in Los Angeles (11 p.m. EST). Ohtani’s Fortnite debut is also scheduled to drop on the video game world, when he’ll become the first MLB player featured in the popular online video game, on Monday, March 17.
Shohei Ohtani is a uniquely talented individual. The Los Angeles Dodgers, two-way superstar has made quite a name for himself since entering Major League Baseball in 2018.
Ohtani, now 30, has won three of the last four MVP awards (two in the AL and one in the NL). Last year, he became the first player in MLB history to record a 50-50 season (54 home runs and 59 stolen bases). And, he helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series championship since 2020.
If that wasn’t enough, Ohtani is expected to make his return to the mound in 2025 after serving strictly as the Dodgers’ designated hitter last season.
And Monday, Fortnite, along with MLB, made a major announcement. The popular online video game will feature Ohtani as their first ever MLB player, starting March 17, 2025.
Ohtani, alongside his dog Decoy’s bobblehead, are coming to Fortnite next Tuesday, March 17 at 8 p.m. EST. Ohtani will be part of the “Icon Series,” which includes outfits and emotes, among other items, based on real people. With Fortnite’s more than 650 million registered players worldwide, Ohtani, already a global superstar, should get exposed to a whole new demographic.
Ohtani’s Dodgers uniform will be available in three styles, white for home, gray for away and a Lego style for Lego Fortnite. Two emotes will accompany Ohtani, a Decoy bobblehead that throws you baseballs to hit, and another with “Shohei’s ‘magic wand’ routine.”
