This photo illustration shows a selection of newpapers' front pages in Tokyo on Nov. 1 with images of player Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrating the day before following their victory over the New York Yankees in the World Series, giving the Japanese superstar his first MLB championship.RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images
The World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but there’s a hearty celebration going on across the Pacific Ocean in Japan, too.
People milled around the edge of the Ginza shopping area in central Tokyo on Thursday afternoon as single-sheet, special newspaper editions rolled off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees.
The headline in Japanese in the Sports Nippon newspaper, set in yellow and blue type – with red highlights – read: “No. 1 in The World. Ohtani beats the Yankees.”
“I want to thank my Japanese fans for coming all the way to cheer me this season,” Ohtani said on Japanese television. “That cheering gave me some energy. So I’m glad I could return the gratitude [with] my winning.”
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, rowdy crowds took to the streets of L.A. after the Dodgers won, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting off fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police Thursday, but officials emphasized that most fans celebrated peacefully.
Video showed revellers throwing objects at police in downtown L.A. as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area late Wednesday after the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 5 in New York.
Other video showed someone standing atop a bus waving a Dodgers banner and people running from a boarded-up Nike store with armfuls of sneakers before throwing the merchandise into cars parked outside. No injuries were reported.
Despite some unrest, “the overwhelming majority of celebrations last night were joyful and peaceful,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a Thursday news conference discussing the logistics of Friday’s planned victory parade.
There were some “unruly, and at times violent and hostile celebrations” after Wednesday’s win, with several acts of vandalism, including the burning of a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus, LAPD spokesperson Officer Drake Madison said in an e-mail.
Things were more subdued in Japan, where newspaper handouts are a Tokyo tradition when the country celebrates a big event. And it was a scramble, as usual, with men and women – young and old – sprinting up and down the sidewalk to get their free collector’s items.
The Yomiuri Shimbun headline read: “Dodgers No. 1; Ohtani, Yamamoto in first season.”
“He is the pride of Japan,” said Hideki Shinohara, who called himself a hard core fan. “You cannot describe him with just ‘amazing.’ You need to invent a new word.”
The Japanese pride in Ohtani is a huge one for a country whose players were once considered too small, or only good pitchers. Now, there is strong pride in the fact that their players are among the best in the game.
Japan defeated the United States in the World Baseball Classic final last year in Miami, another sign of the country’s prowess in the American pastime.
It was also a victory for Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan – Oshu City – where fans have been gathering all week and anticipating their superstar hero would help deliver the title.
About 38,000 special edition newspapers were also published in Iwate Prefecture, the northern area where Oshu City is located.
The Dodgers plan to commemorate their championship Friday with a downtown parade followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium. The team said Wednesday that because of logistics, traffic and timing, fans won’t be able to attend both events.