The Los Angeles Dodgers touched down in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday morning ahead of their MLB regular-season opener at the Tokyo Dome next week.
After landing in his home nation, Shohei Ohtani took to social media with a simple message for his fans, helping to build excitement for the upcoming two-game set against the Chicago Cubs.
"I'm back," wrote Ohtani, translated from Japanese.
Ohtani posted a series of images and videos upon his arrival in Japan, one of which included his beloved dog Decoy next to plenty of luggage.
The two-game series against the Cubs gets underway on Tuesday, March 18, with first pitch set for 6:10 a.m. ET.
Before establishing himself as a generational talent in MLB, Ohtani was lighting it up back home in Japan, where he was a two-way superstar for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league until 2017, after which he joined MLB's Los Angeles Angels, and subsequently the Dodgers. Now, he's hoping to put on a show in front of his adoring fans in his home country.
In addition to Ohtani, the Dodgers roster fellow Japan natives Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, both of whom are expected to take the Tokyo Dome mound for the games against Chicago. Meanwhile, the Cubs will be deploying All-Star starter Shota Imanaga during the first of the two games.
