By info.tzupdates@gmail.com 
Baseball fever swept through Tokyo on Tuesday as the MLB season got underway, offering fans a rare opportunity to glimpse homegrown star Shohei Ohtani in action.
Thousands of supporters gathered at the Tokyo Dome to see reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, face the Chicago Cubs, two teams with five Japanese players between them.
The biggest draw, of course, was three-time MVP Ohtani, who enjoyed a record-breaking campaign last year with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases in the regular season.
The anticipation rose inside the stadium each time Ohtani stepped up to the plate during the Dodgers’ 4-1 win, and perhaps the loudest moment came when he got his team’s first hit of the season in the fifth inning.
The four-time All-Star also hit a double in the ninth inning, becoming the third Japanese player to have multiple hits in an MLB game at the Tokyo Dome, according to the league.
“I was actually pretty nervous,” Ohtani told MLB Network after the game. “It’s been a while since I’ve been nervous but today I definitely felt it. It’s a very unique environment, a unique situation where I do feel that the fans are expecting me to get some hits. That was a little bit different.”