The World Series trophy heads to Los Angeles, but the celebration extends to Japan. People gathered around train stations in Tokyo on Thursday morning as the extras for the newspapers were ready to roll off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as champions along with their Dodgers teammates after an exciting victory in the fifth game of the World Series over the New York Yankees.
"I want to thank my Japanese fans for sticking with me until the end this season," Ohtani said on Japanese television. And this is huge for a country whose players were once considered too small, or just good pitchers. Now, there is a strong pride in the fact that their players are among the best in the sport.
Japan defeated the United States in the final of the World Baseball Classic last year in Miami, another sign of the country's prowess in the 'American pastime.' The coronation in the World Series was also a victory for Ohtani's hometown in northern Japan—Oshu—where fans have been gathering all week, anticipating that their superstar hero would help secure the title.
"Those displays of encouragement gave me some energy, so I'm grateful to give back by winning." The free distribution of newspapers is a tradition in Tokyo when Japan celebrates a major event.
