The Los Angeles Dodgers have long made it clear how they wish to capture Japan and paint the country in Dodger Blue, and seemingly are well on their way to accomplishing as much with the signings of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
While the three Japanese natives have been celebrated since the Dodgers landed in Japan this week, the entire team is also being embraced. No more was that evident than Friday afternoon (local time) as 10,000 fans attended a Dodgers workout at the Tokyo Dome.
Plenty of attention was on Ohtani during his time on the field, but the likes of Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández were fan-favorites as well.
Rojas endeared himself with Japanese baseball fans through being so welcoming to Ohtani and Yamamoto last season, and by giving the No. 11 jersey to Sasaki.
Catcher throwing drills pic.twitter.com/S4cp2k2kcS
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) March 14, 2025
You might never get a better view of the throw from center field to third base, unless you are Max Muncy. pic.twitter.com/p5pQfSwbDp
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) March 14, 2025
Although Opening Day with the Toyko Series meant another early start to the regular season, manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers were embracing the opportunity and excited to also experience Japan off the field. The trip represents a homecoming for Roberts as well, given he was born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
Roberts mentioned looking forward to planned dinners and visiting with family, and had already taken notice of the excitement surrounding the Tokyo Series.
“I think the media attention alone is one part of it,” he began. “And the other part of it is, I got a chance to see the airport, and all the fans that were there. But we went to a different terminal, so they didn’t get to see us.
“So just kind of seeing all the fans here welcome us to Tokyo kind of gives us the scale.”
Dodgers games in Japan
The Dodgers play their first exhibition game at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday at 3 a.m. PT. Their second game is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT on Saturday.
Opening Day is 3 a.m. on Tuesday, and the Tokyo Series concludes Wednesday with another early morning start for fans on the West Coast.
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