Shohei Ohtani
Rocks Grand Slam In WBC Opener
… In Front of Timothée Chalamet, Bad Bunny
Published
When Shohei Ohtani takes the field in Japan, it’s more than a baseball game; it’s an event — and the superstar proved exactly why Friday with a grand slam-fueled performance that powered Samurai Japan to a 13–0 World Baseball Classic rout.
The sold-out Tokyo Dome was packed hours before first pitch … with fans arriving more than 90 minutes early just to watch Ohtani take batting practice.
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Even celebrities got in on the action … Timothée Chalamet and Bad Bunny were both spotted in the crowd as the global baseball superstar put on a show.
And Ohtani didn’t waste any time delivering.
On the first pitch of the game, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ slugger ripped a 117.1 mph double down the right-field line, instantly sending the 42,000-plus fans inside the Dome into a frenzy.
The biggest moment came in his second at-bat the next inning … with the bases loaded, Ohtani jumped on a hanging curveball from and muscled it just over the right-field wall for a grand slam, igniting a massive rally.
Ohtani still wasn’t finished — later in the same inning, he roped an RBI single, giving him five RBIs and leaving him just a triple shy of the cycle before the third inning even began.
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Japan piled on 10 runs in the second … setting a World Baseball Classic record for most runs in a single frame.
When the dust settled, Ohtani finished 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs as Japan cruised to the 13–0 mercy-rule win.
The performance looked awfully familiar for anyone who watched the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when Ohtani carried Japan to the championship while hitting .435 with eight RBIs and posting a 1.86 ERA on the mound.
He won’t be pitching in this year’s tournament — but if Friday night was any indication, the superstar may not need to.
Japan returns to action Saturday against Korea … and if Ohtani keeps swinging like this, the rest of the tournament could be in serious trouble.
