Banners, lights as Japan hails MVP award for baseballer Ohtani
19/11/2021 05:21
By Akira Tomoshige Elaine Lies
TOKYO, Nov 19 (Reuters) - From the prime minister to people
in the street, Japan on Friday celebrated Shohei Ohtani winning
one of U.S. baseball's top awards with joy, banners and
newspaper extras filled with pride at the achievement of one of
their own.
Ohtani, 27, with the Los Angeles Angels, won the Most
Valuable Player (MVP) award for Major League Baseball's American
League, becoming only the second Japanese player after Ichiro
Suzuki, then with the Seattle Mariners, did so in
2001. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2S939K
"I'm proud. He worked hard and showed Japanese presence,"
said Minoru Tanaka, 68 and a part-time worker.
Others were even more enthusiastic.
"I'm simply happy, I think it's amazing," said office worker
Chihiro Nakamura, 36. "I want to keep cheering him on."
Newspapers handed out extras and the iconic Tokyo Tower was
set to be illuminated in the Angels' colours with a
congratulatory message at exactly 17:17, or 5:17 p.m., to match
Ohtani's jersey number.
City hall workers in Ohtani's hometown of Oshu, in rural
northeastern Japan, gathered in Angels jerseys, cheering and
clapping. Later, banners proclaiming the win were hung from city
hall.
Even Prime Minister Fumio Kishida joined, telling reporters:
"It's an extraordinary accomplishment and as a Japanese citizen,
I feel very proud."
Ohtani's popularity stems from both his athletic ability and
his character, which combines quiet strength and the humbleness
Japan respects most in its heroes, said Hirotaka Matsuoka, a
sports marketing professor at Tokyo's Waseda University.
"Ohtani is earnest and humble, so even if he doesn't say
anything he's appealing - and he appeals to men, women, young
and old," he added.
Though Suzuki was popular, Ohtani goes one better, said
Robert Whiting, the author of several books on Japanese
baseball.
"He gives Japan a certain status in MLB it has never had
before ...," he said in remarks made to Reuters before the award
announcement. "Some people are calling him the best baseball
player they've ever seen."
Shares in sporting goods firm Asics rose, while Zett Corp,
a little-known sports company whose share price soared in July
when Ohtani appeared in the All-Star game, fell after an initial
spike just after the news came out.
Though baseball has lost ground to soccer in Japan in recent
years, Ohtani's MVP is likely to inspire more to play the game -
and more to watch, giving Japanese professional baseball a
boost, Matsuoka said.
"After all, who knows when you might be able to see the next
Ohtani in a game right here?" he said.
(Additional reporting by Daiki Iga, Rocky Swift and Akiko
Okamoto; Editing by Michael Perry)
((elaine.lies@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-4563-2748; Reuters
Messaging: elaine.lies@thomsonreuters.com))