'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Los Angeles Dodgers arrived in Korea prior to their opening series with the San Diego Padres. While entering, they were greeted by a packed airport, trying to get a glimpse of the juggernaut squad featuring Shohei Ohtani.
Baseball fans and media members swarmed the place, with Ohtani having an army around him. It goes to show just how popular the two-way phenom is internationally.
Trending
Ohtani looked as if he was the president being escorted. There was no getting close to the superstar here.
Baseball fans took to social media to display their amazement at the hype that Shohei Ohtani received. There is no bigger face in the sport, whether that is in the United States or abroad.
"Dudes literally got a police escort. This is hilarious. Global phenomenonnin Shohei Ohtani" one fan posted.
"It's hard to state what a superstar Shohei is here" another fan posted.
Ohtani was joined by his wife, Mamiko Tanaka. The superstar announced his marriage at the start of the month. Mamiko is a former professional basketball player who recently retired following the 2023 season.
It will be an important season for the Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the talk of the offseason. They had one of the best winters a club has ever had, signing Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and trading for guys like Tyler Glasnow.
With the impressive offseason comes huge expectations. The Blue Crew was already a good team before this winter. Now, success will be measured by World Series wins. Anything short of being the last team standing in October will be viewed as a failure.
Last year, the club won its second consecutive National League West title, finishing the year with a 100-62 record. Unfortunately, they were bested by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS.
On paper, LA should be a better team than last season. They finished with the best slugging percentage in the league and added Ohtani, who led all players in slugging percentage despite missing a month of the season.
Ohtani will start the season hitting second in the lineup. This will give him added protection, something he did not have with the Los Angeles Angels. It will be interesting to see how much better the superstar can get.
For those looking to watch Ohtani's regular season debut can do so on ESPN. Game 1 starts Wednesday at 6:-5 a.m. ET.
Click here for 2023 MLB Free Agency Tracker Updates. Follow Sportskeeda for latest news and updates on MLB.
