"Holy WrestleMania" - MLB fans enthralled as manager of Shohei Ohtani's ex-team makes grand WWE-style entrance before first NPB home game of 2024 

Tsuyoshi Shinjo is the current manager of Shohei Ohtani's former NPB team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He goes by the nickname "BigBoss" in the NPB, and he recently made one of the most decorated entries to the diamond on Opening Day of the 2024 NPB season. The 52-year-old manager is in his third full season at the club's helm.

Here's a look at his grand, WWE-style entrance:

MLB fans took notice of the video shared on Instagram and quickly voiced their excitement for Tsuyoshi Shino's entrance as a manager to the field. While some compared the introduction to a Wrestlemania-like entrance, others voiced their appreciation for the former MLB star while others wanted this kind of entrance style to be implemented in the major leagues as well:

"Holy WrestleMania"

Screenshot of fan reacting to Jomboy Media's post on Instagram

While Shohei Ohtani and Tsuyoshi "BigBoss" Shinjo never played at the same time in the NPB, their stories of traveling across the Pacific and playing in the big leagues are almost similar. Shinjo played for the Hanshin Tigers before making his move to the New York Mets in 2001.

He then played for the San Francisco Giants in 2002 alongside Barry Bonds in the outfield, where he got his first taste of playing in the World Series. He played his last season in the MLB with the Mets in 2003 before going back to the NPB and signing with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He became the Ham Fighters' manager in 2022.

Ohtani's career took a different turn altogether; he spent five seasons in the NPB with the Ham Fighters before the LA Angels came calling to sign his talents and take them to the MLB.

After six illustrious years with the Halos, which saw him produce two MVP seasons, "Shotime" signed the biggest contract this past offseason with the LA Dodgers, which stood at a whopping $700 million over 10 years, and switched allegiances to seek a World Series title in the MLB.

Shohei Ohtani produces hardest base hit by a Dodger in Statcast era

The LA Dodgers have been in the Statcast era since 2015, and some incredible players have registered powerful base hits for the ballclub, but none like the one that Shohei Ohtani produced in Game 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Shohei Ohtani has raked in multiple hits, but one of them – which clocked at 115.8 mph off his bat – is regarded as the hardest base hit by any Dodgers player in the Statcast era.

The 115.8-mph shot was a double by the two-way ace on March 31. The Japanese superstar has only played six games for the Dodgers in his nascent career so far, as he continues to sustain himself as the hot topic of discussion in the MLB.