SEOUL (Reuters) – Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani said on Saturday he was excited to receive international attention and play in his first opening series in South Korea for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani arrived in Seoul on Friday for the opener Wednesday and Thursday against the San Diego Padres, drawing fanfare from a large crowd at Incheon International Airport. He will also play Korea Baseball Organization teams and Team Korea in exhibition games starting Sunday.
“I’m excited to play in Korea not just for baseball but to experience the whole culture,” the Japanese pitching and hitting phenomenon told a press conference in Seoul.
His second trip to South Korea as a baseball player also prompted widespread Japanese media coverage. A national hero in his home country, Ohtani was part of Japan’s under-18 team when it won the world championship in Seoul in 2012.
He said South Korea was “one of my favourite countries” even back then and he was glad to return.
“Japan and Korea, they’ve always had a great rivalry when it comes to sports. I’ve always watched the games between Japan and Korea, and I always respected and looked up to Team Korea and the Korean players,” he said.
“So being accepted like this and welcomed is a very good feeling, and I want to put on a really good show for everybody.”
Ohtani, who made a surprise announcement of his marriage and shared a photo of his wife just before flying to Seoul, said it was her first time travelling with him for a game.
“So I think it’s going to be really great memories for both of us,” he said. “But like I said earlier, I have one job to focus on – so it’s baseball.”
Ohtani, 29, won his second Most Valuable Player award last year after leading the American League with 44 home runs and notching 10 wins as a pitcher.
In December, he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after six years with the cross-town Angels.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Hyunyoung Yi and Daewoung Kim; Editing by William Mallard)
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