It’s not just Shohei Ohtani. Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.is also from Japan, and the team’s
manager Dave Roberts is Japanese American. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
The Dodgers have a close connection with so many different communities across the city.
Just as Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela ignited fan support in the Latino community in the 1980s, Shohei Ohtani has done the same for Los Angeles' Asian community.
When the Dodgers won the World Series Wednesday, Little Tokyo erupted in celebration. And it’s not just because of Shohei. Manager Dave Roberts is Japanese American while NLCS MVP Tommy Edman is half Korean. There’s also Japanese Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
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Shu Tamaura is a Dodger fan who lives in a suburb of Tokyo. He said many Japanese baseball fans cheer for the whole team, but he said there’s something special about Shohei.
“We are proud of him not only for his extraordinary performance but also because of his personality,” Tamaura said. “Those virtues he represents are the virtues we embrace in the Japanese communities.”
In Little Tokyo, an Ohtani mural covers one side of the Miyako Hotel. Akira Yuhara, the general manager, said Shohei has his business booming.
“Little Tokyo is very popular now,” Yuhara said. “I saw probably triple times Japanese guests coming to here.”
One of those Japanese Guests is Aki Kuroki.
“The Dodgers won the World Series like 10 minutes before I left my home,” Kuroki said.
He lives in Tokyo and arrived in Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series. He had tickets to game six that won’t happen.
“I’ll go to a parade instead,” Kuroki said with a smile.
