Shohei Ohtani and Japanese teammates open up about playing Tokyo Series in their home country

Shohei Ohtani and his Japanese teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are among the star attractions for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming MLB Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs.

Three-time MVP Ohtani is the biggest star from Japan, and Yamamoto is among the highest-paid pitchers with his $325 million contract. Meanwhile, Roki Sasaki was the hottest free agent pitcher available in the free agent market before the Dodgers acquired him for $6.5 million.

The 31-man Dodgers squad has arrived in Japan and will play two exhibition games against NPB teams before the Tokyo Series. Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki jointly appeared at a press conference, where the trio was asked about playing in Japan. Yamamoto said via a translator (12:32):

"I really feel the excitement of the country with the games being played here. Obviously, I'm looking forward to pitching in front of the fans as well. So, I wanna do my very best to make sure that I do that."

Check out the Dodgers stars' comments below:

Shohei Ohtani agreed with Yamamoto and added that he wanted his other teammates to enjoy their time in Japan.

"Additionally, I'm sure that my teammates are really enjoying Japan right now. And I hope they continue to do so. But also, I hope my that the fans get to see my teammates enjoy Japan," Ohtani said via a translator [13:06].

As for Sasaki, the Dodgers rookie played in the NPB very recently. For him, the priority was to give a good impression on his first professional outing with his new team.

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"It's truly a big deal" - Shohei Ohtani on five Japanese players in the Tokyo Series

One of the reasons why the Dodgers and Cubs are playing in the Tokyo Series is the presence of five Japanese players on the teams. While the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, the Cubs have Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki.

At the aforementioned press conference, Ohtani was asked whether the present era is the golden generation for Japanese baseballers. The Dodgers superstar admitted it was a big deal, but was very humble:

"It's hard to tell if this is the golden age for Japanese players here in the United States. Because I know there is a lot of Japanese players that came before me. But having five is a big deal, and It's truly a big deal." [14:38].

The Tokyo Series is set to start on March 18 and should be a great watch.