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By Tyler Erzberger
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There are no bigger stars currently in the country of Japan than the World Baseball Classic team.
The defending champions of the most prestigious trophy in global baseball are days away from beginning their journey to defend the 2023 crown that they won over the United States of America in the final.
Winners of three of the five WBCs, Japan takes great pride in the tournament, which has exploded in popularity since their 2023 win. What began as an exhibition put on by the MLB over two decades ago has become an event that, at least in Japan, is comparable to the upcoming World Cup in North America this summer.
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As the Samurai Japan team gets ready for their opener against Chinese Taipei in the Tokyo Dome, the squad took a quick detour this weekend to grab some food.
The onlookers in the restaurant took their phones out immediately to get a glimpse of the famed baseball players heading into the back of the shop for a meal, each player bringing more commotion than the last.
But even before he came into focus, the customers exploded in sound at the sight of the one and only Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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By the time Ohtani crossed his way through the door, it felt like another level of celebrity had entered the room.
After Ohtani disappeared into the back, the regular cheers and yells for the rest of the team followed, but nowhere near the ferocity of when they saw the four-time MLB MVP.
Ohtani has only been back in Japan for a few days since departing from Dodgers spring training in Arizona, but he's already wowed multiple crowds in and outside of the baseball venue.
The Japanese fans will hope that Ohtani continues his golden road of championships, as he looks to extend his streak of winning a major team championship to four years with a WBC win in 2026.
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