Shohei Ohtani fans descended on Citizens Bank Park: ‘He’s a legend to us’
In the past few years, the 30-year-old pitcher has become one of the most popular athletes in the world.
It was “Shotime” at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. And while the Los Angeles Dodgers lost, 3-2, to the Phillies — ending an 8-0 start — in their series opener, it wasn’t for lack of support. Fans traveled from all over to catch a glimpse of designated hitter Shohei Ohtani in action, including 49-year-old David Zavala, who traveled from Madera, Calif.
“We just flew in to watch them play here in Philadelphia just for a different experience than going to Dodger Stadium,” Zavala said. “We just wanted to try to get out of the box and see something new here.”
Zavala has been a longtime Dodgers fan, attending games twice a month at Dodger Stadium. In Ohtani’s two seasons with the Dodgers, the 49-year-old fan has noticed the superstar’s impact on the city.
“Now that I go to Dodger Stadium I see a lot of people from overseas there,” Zavala said. “It just brings everybody together in a big way here. It’s opening baseball to a whole different level, bringing international fans. You have every ethnicity there in California at Dodger Stadium. Everybody is enjoying baseball in California right now.”
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The international appeal of Ohtani has been on display in his last two seasons with the Dodgers. Last year, they played in the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres in South Korea and this year they played in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs in Japan.
Dodgers fan Ryota Matsushima has noticed a change in the popularity of the sport in Japan since Ohtani’s success in the United States. The 31-year-old currently resides in New York after moving from Japan five years ago.
“Baseball has grown in Japan,” Matsushima said. “In Japan, there were so many soccer players but when Ohtani came to the U.S., baseball became one of the most played sports. He’s a legend to us. He’s the most famous player. He changed Japanese baseball history.”
Ohtani has brought more attention to MLB in Japan and is viewed as a role model to the Asian community.
Kevin Luo, 30, followed Ohtani’s career early on. The New Jersey native brings his wife, Hali Strickler, to Citizens Bank Park every time the Dodgers are in town.
“Seeing an Asian superstar is great to see,” Luo said. “Having another positive male role model in the Asian community is huge. He’s someone who not only is a great player on the field but he carries himself extremely well. I think that’s something super important to have in the Asian community, especially amongst Asian males.”
To some fans, Ohtani’s MLB takeover is reminiscent of Jeremy Lin’s rise to fame with the New York Knicks in 2012. The Taiwanese-American basketball player’s sudden takeover drew in more crowds of Asian descent. Linsanity challenged stereotypes and Lin served as a symbol of hope and pride for Asian Americans. The same has been said about Ohtani.
“There are definitely similarities. I grew up in North Jersey and watched every Linsanity game,” Luo said. “But Linsanity was a little bit of a blip whereas Ohtani has been a superstar for four, five years. Linsanity was more of a month-long sensation.”
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Ohtani has found plenty of success with the Dodgers, batting .310 and hitting a career-high 54 home runs in his first season with the team. The superstar was the first player to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season and the first player in All-Star history selected as both pitcher and hitter.
“He’s a truly generational talent,” Luo said. “No one has done what he’s done from both hitting and pitching. I think he exudes positive energy and he is someone who is easy to root for. He plays the game with a lot of passion.”
In the past few years, the 30-year-old pitcher has become one of the most popular athletes in the world.
“He’s in that realm of the LeBrons, the Kobes, the Babe Ruths,” Zavala said. “It’s just a whole new level of baseball with him. So he is [on his way] to the top. He’s setting his own standard. You don’t know what he’s going to come up with or what he’s going to do at bat. The door is wide open for him to just explode.”