Shohei Ohtani slugs World Series-champion Dodgers to easy win over Cubs to open season in Japan

Shohei Ohtani reminded both sides of the Pacific why he’s a champion on Tuesday in Tokyo.

Shohei Ohtani reminded both sides of the Pacific why he’s a champion on Tuesday in Tokyo. Coming off his first World Series title, the Los Angeles Dodgers star led his team to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. 

Following a first pitch that came in around 3am in LA, Ohtani scored two runs on a single and a double in the first end of the two-game Tokyo Series.

Playing in front of their home country, Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga both pitched well in the first all-Japanese starting pitching matchup on opening day in MLB history. Imanaga threw four scoreless innings, allowing no hits but walking four.

The Dodgers jumped on Cubs reliever Ben Brown (0-1) in the fifth, scoring three runs, partly because of a throwing error by second baseman Jon Berti. Tommy Edman and Will Smith had RBI singles.

Ohtani was part of the rally, delivering a hard-hit single through the right side. He finished 2 for 5 at the plate, including a double to lead off the ninth, eventually scoring another run.

Yamamoto (1-0) gave up one run on three hits and a walk, striking out four. Tanner Scott earned his first save.

Chicago’s Miguel Amaya drove in Dansby Swanson with a two-out double that made it 1-0 in the second. The Cubs didn’t have a hit after the third.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched before the game because of left rib discomfort. Shortstop Mookie Betts will miss both games in Japan because of an illness.

Ohtani’s single was the first hit of the game for the Dodgers, helping start a rally that would turn the game in their favor.

Yamamoto, Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius and Blake Treinen combined to retire 16 batters in a row from the third to the eighth innings. The streak ended when Treinen hit Berti with a pitch with one out in the eighth.

Japanese rookie Roki Sasaki will make his MLB debut for the Dodgers while left-hander Justin Steele takes the mound for the Cubs on Wednesday night for the final game in Tokyo.

Baseball in Japan — the game is called ‘yakyu’ (field ball) in Japanese — carries more of a rock-concert vibe than its American cousin. And with Shohei Ohtani teasing fans for a week in Tokyo as the two-game series approached, it’s a true spectacle.

You don’t see the following routinely in North America. You did Tuesday in the Tokyo Dome.

Young women carry beer kegs on their backs, drawing a cold draft while you’re seated watching the game. Fans are clearly more animated. Even elderly men come with a glove — just in case. And chopsticks are in use as fans watching the game snack on noodles or a rice dish.

The food selection at the concession stands is mostly Asian, but popcorn and beer are plentiful. You can even buy a version of Cracker Jack.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he played baseball in Puerto Rico and Mexico and suggested the Japanese game and the Latin American game were linked.

‘I would say the similarity is the passion from the fans. I think in Tokyo it’s a little more controlled emotion, chaos. Where in Latin America, playing winter ball — in the best possible way — it’s chaotic and a lot of passion.’

‘It’s definitely close,’ Dodgers Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Rojas said. ‘They enjoy the game a little bit different than the United States. This is the closest thing you will find (to Latin America).’

Dodgers teammate Kike Hernandez, a Puerto Rican, drew a deft comparison.

‘When it comes to just culture as it is, the Latin culture and Japanese culture can’t be more far apart from each other,’ he said. ‘But when it comes to the passion and the way that fans enjoy the game — it’s the closest thing to it.’

The food selection in the Tokyo Dome is all-world. And the food prices fall in the reasonable range, though the portions are probably smaller.

The food prices are a sharp contrast to the fact that a ticket for the Dodgers-Cubs series was selling on the secondary market in the $2,000-$8,000 range. At least one ticket was being advertised for $10,000.

A large draft beer in the food concourse was about 900 yen or $6. A double-cheese hot dog will set you back 1,000 yen, about $6.50.

For eats, there’s kimchi noodles, garlic-pepper chicken, Japanese-style dumplings and dozens of other choices. A pita sandwich will set you back about 1,300 yen — $8.50. Add to this many ballpark staples — pizza, fries and soft-serve ice cream.

Let’s eat. In Japanese that’s ‘tabemashou.’