Dodgers fan Shohei Ohtani takes over Los Angeles

Die-hard baseball fans flocked to a Los Angeles neighborhood ahead of the Dodgers’ victory over the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series – and many came from around the world for one player.

People in the LA suburb of Little Tokyo call it the “Ohtani effect.”

Shohei Ohtani – the Dodgers’ star player – looms over the historic neighborhood, personified in a 150ft (45m) high mural and his name emblazoned on the jerseys worn by fans. here to wear.

Baseball may be considered “America’s pastime,” but the sport’s biggest stars come from Japan. The player has signed a record-breaking contract to play this season – a whopping $700m (£540m) over 10 years – and the hype around him is growing, attracting attracting new fans and new traditions in multicultural Los Angeles.

Business has boomed here. Tourists come from everywhere – including from the star’s hometown.

“When Shohei comes to bat — they know if he hits a home run, we’ll start pouring sake,” said Don Tahara, owner of Far Bar, where dozens of TVs show Dodgers games. . The house runs free rice wine equality – often to hundreds of fans.

That’s a lot of benefits. Ohtani hit 54 home runs this regular season — though none in the World Series, which was won Wednesday as the Dodgers blew a 5-0 lead to beat the Yankees by 7 -6.

Before the series victory, Mr. Tahara said of Shohei and his sake pouring: “It was good for the Dodgers – maybe not so great for my wallet. But it’s so meaningful, it warms my heart.”

Far Bar was packed during the World Series.

Mr. Tahara handed out mochi, a type of Japanese rice cake, decorated with the Dodgers logo, and free margaritas to honor Fernando Valenzuela, the recently deceased Dodgers legend. The Mexico-born left-handed pitcher is also being immortalized in a mural – across the river from Little Tokyo in Boyle Heights.

Splattered with paint, muralist Robert Vargas took a break from painting Valenzuela to watch one of the series’ games at Far Bar. It’s hard to imagine Mr. Vargas buying his own drinks at Far Bar — in Little Tokyo, he might be as beloved as Ohtani for immortalizing the baseball star on the massive wall of the Miyako Hotel.

“I’ve been a Dodger fan my whole life,” Mr. Vargas said, adding that he drew Ohtani “in the spirit of representation.”

And the mural has become a popular destination for tourists from Japan who arrive by bus to pose for photos with the artwork.

Takatani Kiuchi traveled from Japan to attend the second game of the series at Dodger Stadium in downtown Los Angeles, and he watched the third game from Far Bar with his friends. Dressed head to toe in Dodgers gear and an Ohtani jersey, Kiuchi met fans from all over Los Angeles and the world.

“We are the new Dodgers fans. From Tokyo. To us, it has more to do with the Yankees than the Dodgers – it makes a lot more sense than the World Series.

They were excited that the second game of the series also featured the other Japanese star on the team – Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching six innings, allowing just one hit to the Yankees.

Kiuchi last visited Los Angeles as a child 50 years ago and said he will definitely return to see the Dodgers play again.

“We came here to see this,” Kiuchi cheered as the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman homered in the third game and the crowd in the bar erupted in cheers.

The city tourism board is also cheering. In 2023, there will be 230,000 visitors from Japan to Los Angeles, an increase of 91.7% compared to 2022.

And by year’s end, the city expects to welcome 320,000 visitors, said Bill Karz, senior vice president of brand marketing for LA Tourism. That number is still down from pre-pandemic levels, but tourism officials are celebrating the increase.

“The Ohtani effect is real,” Karz said. “It impacts our entire economy.”

That’s led to increased hotel occupancy, ticket sales at area theme parks like Universal Studios and tours of Dodger Stadium, he said, which in turn has increased the number of tour in Japanese that the company organizes.

Even some die-hard Yankee fans have jumped on the Ohtani bandwagon.

In a sea of ​​Dodger blue, Vince Gonzales wore the black and red “Ohtani” shirt of the Japanese national team.

“Shh, I’m a Yankee fan,” he whispered at the bar as he mingled with tourists from Japan. “But more importantly, I am a fan of Ohtani because I have a passion for Japanese baseball.”

The Far Bar erupted with cheers and “I love LA” blared from the sound system as game three ended in a Dodger victory.

Robert Vargas – the muralist – was unable to escape. A woman from Japan ran out of the bar to ask him to take a photo in front of the mural. He obliged and soon dozens of people were taking pictures with him and chanting, “Let’s go, Dodgers!”