Ohtani is the second Japanese-born player to hit a home run in an MLB game played in Japan, joining Hideki Matsui. Matsui hit a two-run home run for the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Tokyo Dome on March 31, 2004.

The entire week was a buildup to this.Whether the ball struck by Shohei Ohtani would have cleared the right-field wall at the Tokyo Dome if some fans hadn’t reached over the railing is immaterial. In baseball,

According to Los Angeles Times columnist Dylan Hernández, Shohei Ohtani told Japanese media he plans to join the Dodgers on their upcoming White House visit. “Ohtani said he would go,” Hernández reported, noting the star made his intentions clear during a recent media appearance.