If you haven’t seen Los Angeles Angels and Team Japan star Shohei Ohtani take batting practice, you’ve missed a very impressive showing.
Batting practice is a common occurrence in training camps and before games.
However, Ohtani makes the experience a show in its own right, a true spectacle before the spectacle that everybody was supposed to go watch.
“#WBC: You haven’t seen a batting practice until you’ve seen a Shohei Ohtani batting practice on his home soil in front of an adoring crowd. Quite mesmerizing to see the entire stadium hold its breath to watch this man take BP hacks,” Jeeho Yoo from Yonhap News tweeted.
#WBC: You haven’t seen a batting practice until you’ve seen a Shohei Ohtani batting practice on his home soil in front of an adoring crowd. Quite mesmerizing to see the entire stadium hold its breath to watch this man take BP hacks. pic.twitter.com/Ebc7vC9GCr
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) March 6, 2023
You can see how the crowd reacts to long batting practice home runs.
That’s in Japan, Ohtani’s native country.
The two-way performer is getting ready for the World Baseball Classic that will start in just a few days.
Japan is part of Pool B, alongside South Korea, China, the Czech Republic, and Australia.
That pool’s games will be played at the Tokyo Dome, a familiar venue for Ohtani.
The Japanese are excited to watch him defend his country on the field in his first major international tournament.
The 2021 AL MVP will likely contribute as a hitter and as a pitcher, much like he has with the Angels stateside.
2023 will be a big year for the talented slugger and ace: he will try to help his nation win their first WBC since 2009 and third overall, and he will also be the key player in the Angels’ quest for their first postseason appearance since 2014 .
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