Diedifficult baseball fans flocked to one Los Angeles neighbourhood ahead of the Dodgers’ triumph over the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series – and many came from atraverse the globe becaengage of one carry outer.
People here in the Little Tokyo suburb of LA call it the “Ohtani effect”.
Shohei Ohtani – the Dodgers’ star carry outer – looms big over the historic neighbourhood, personified in a 150ft (45m) mural and his name emblazoned atraverse jerseys worn by fans here.
Baseball may be comprehendn as “America’s pastime”, but its hugegest star is from Japan. The carry outer signed a enrolling-shattering restricted to carry out this season – a whopping $700m (£540m) over 10 years – and the hype surrounding him has only prolongn, luring in novel fans and novel traditions in multicultural Los Angeles.
Business has boomed here. Tourists come from all over – including from the star’s home country.
“When Shohei comes to bat – they comprehend if he hits the home run we begin pouring sake stoastys,” says Don Tahara, the owner of Far Bar where dozens of TVs show Dodgers games. Home runs identical free rice triumphe – frequently to hundreds of fans.
That’s a lot of sake. Ohtani has hit 54 home runs during this normal season – although none in the World Series, which was won on Wednesday when the Dodgers came from 5-0 down to beat the Yankees 7-6.
Ahead of the series triumph, Mr Tahara shelp of Shohei and his sake stoasty-pouring: “It’s excellent for the Dodgers – maybe not so wonderful for my pocketbook. But it’s nastyingful, it toastys my heart.”
Far Bar was packed during the World Series.
Mr Tahara passed out mochi, a Japanese rice cake, decorated with the Dodgers’ logo and free margarita stoastys to honour Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodgers legfinish who recently died. The Mexico-born, left-handed pitcher is also being immortalised in a mural – atraverse the river from Little Tokyo in Boyle Heights.
Splattered in decorate, muraenumerate Robert Vargas took a shatter from decorateing Valenzuela to watch one of the series’ games at Far Bar. It’s difficult to imagine Mr Vargas buying his own drink at Far Bar – in Little Tokyo he is possibly as becherishd as Ohtani for immortalising the baseball star on the massive wall of the Miyako Hotel.
“I’ve been a Dodger fan my whole life,” says Mr Vargas, who says he decorateed Ohtani “in the spirit of reconshort-termation”.
And the mural has become a famous destination for tourists from Japan who come by the busload to pose for ptoastyos with the arttoil.
Takatani Kiuchi travelled from Japan to engage game two of the series at Dodger Stadium in the heart of Los Angeles, and he watched game three from Far Bar with his frifinishs. Dressed head-to-toe in Dodgers gear and Ohtani jerseys, Kiuchi met fans from around Los Angeles and the world.
“We are novel Dodgers fans. From Tokyo. For us it’s more about the Yankees versus Dodgers – that nastys a lot more 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, allotriumphg fair one hit by the Yankees.
Kiuchi last came to Los Angeles as a child 50 years ago and says he will definitely return to see the Dodgers carry out aobtain.
“We came here to see this,” Kiuchi cheered as the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit a home run during game three and the bar’s crowd erupted into cheers.
The city’s tourism board is also cheering. In 2023, there were 230,000 visitors from Japan to Los Angeles, a 91.7 percent incrrelieve from 2022.
And by year-finish, the city is projected to greet 320,000 visitors, says Bill Karz, the greater vice-pdwellnt of brand tageting at LA Tourism. It’s still a drop from pre-pandemic levels, but tourism officials are celebrating the elevate.
“The Ohtani effect is genuine,” says Karz. “It impacts our entire economy.”
That, he says, results in increaseed toastyel occupancy, ticket sales at area theme parks enjoy Universal Studios and tours of Dodger Stadium, which has, in turn, incrrelieved the number of Japanese language tours it runs.
Even some dedicated Yankee fans have jumped on the Ohtani bandwagon.
In a sea of Dodger blue, Vince Gonzales sported a bconciseage and red “Ohtani” shirt from the Japanese national team.
“Shhh, I’m a Yankee fan,” he whispered at the bar while mingling with tourists from Japan. “But more crucipartner, I’m an Ohtani fan becaengage I have a passion for Japanese baseball.”
Far Bar erupted into cheers and “I cherish LA” blasted from the sound system when game three finished in a Dodger triumph.
Robert Vargas – the muraenumerate – wasn’t able to sneak away. A woman from Japan ran out of the bar to beg him for ptoastyos in front of the mural. He obliged and soon, there were dozens of people posing with him for ptoastyos and chanting: “Lets Go, Dodgers!”
