Tokyo Series Notes: Baseball Great Griffey Shares Impressions of Ohtani

Retired superstar Ken Griffey Jr, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, knows a thing or two about fame and stardom. And he demonstrated this once again the day before the Tokyo Series began.

Throughout his MLB career, Griffey was one of baseball's most recognizable stars, a player who can relate to Los Angeles Dodgers fan favorite Shohei Ohtani's star power.

But Griffey acknowledged on Monday, March 17 at Tokyo Dome that Ohtani's fame is at another level than his ever was.

"There's only certain people that I would compare him to, you know, Michael [Jordan] and Tiger [Woods]," Griffey told reporters at Tokyo Dome, making an apt comparison to the NBA and golf legends. "Those would be the guys that could relate better than me, you know, because those guys can't go nowhere.

"I can still slide in and out of places," he added with a laugh.

Tokyo Series — *Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani bats in the fifth inning on Opening Day, March 18. (Issei Kato/REUTERS)*

Griffey, who swatted 630 career home runs before retiring in 2010, was asked if Ohtani can remain "the face" of MLB for the entirety of his 10-year contract through 2033.

"You never know," Griffey said. "I mean, you know, the thing is, he works hard on and off the field … [and] he keeps his body right. So he can be the face of the game for the next 10 years or somebody could be like, 'I want to be the face.' "

Griffey continued: "As long as you keep working and continue to get better, you're going to be the face until somebody dethrones you."

A Thrilling Experience for Dodgers' Banda

Los Angeles veteran pitcher Anthony Banda described the experience of traveling to Tokyo for the season-opening series as a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Conversing with several reporters on the field before Tuesday's game, the 31-year-old left-hander spoke about soaking up the culinary delights and unique aspects of Japanese culture before his team faced the Cubs in the series opener.

"This trip has been amazing," said Banda, who appeared in 48 games in 2024 for the Dodgers. He was 3-2 with a 3.08 ERA. Banda made two starts and also recorded two saves last season.

"The history of baseball here is amazing," added the Texas native, who has played for eight MLB franchises during his career which began in 2017.

He also said he was excited to experience Japanese culture with his son in the nation's capital, citing their fondness for manga and Pokemon as examples.

"I love the culture and the food," Banda revealed with a smile.

Legend Oh Remains a Great Ambassador for the Game

All-time great Sadaharu Oh chatted with numerous former MLB players, including Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, before the game while watching both teams take batting practice.

Oh, pro baseball's all-time home-run king with 868 round-trippers during his legendary career with the Yomiuri Giants, was interviewed on the field by a Taiwan Television reporter before the game, too.

After the home half of the third inning, the public address announcer introduced Oh to the crowd. A photo of his famous flamingo swing from his playing days was shown on the giant scoreboard in center field.

A camera zoomed in on Oh, projecting his image on the video screen. He stood up and waved to the crowd, receiving warm cheers and applause.

In the postgame news conference, Roberts talked about meeting Oh, someone he first met about two decades ago, on Tuesday and observing the respect he commands throughout baseball.

It was "a dream come true," said Roberts.

"I consider Oh-san a friend, and so to see him here in person, I think the fans all were excited to see him. There's a lot of major league players, former players, that were on the field that got to take their picture with him, and he really appreciated that."

Roberts added, "I just think again it's bringing Japanese baseball with Major League Baseball. It's a really special moment."

Pre-Game Activities for MLB Opener

Japanese musician Yoshiki performed beautiful renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Kimigayo" after both teams' lineups were introduced.

Retired sumo wrestler Konishiki, who hails from Hawaii, and ex-NPB and Cubs player Kosuke Fukudome tossed ceremonial pregame pitches about 20 minutes apart. Fukudome's toss was made a few minutes before the first inning commenced, and Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd was the catcher.

"It was a great honor to throw out the ceremonial first pitch," Fukudome said. "I am also grateful for the chance to stand on the mound for this special occasion.

"With so many Japanese players on both teams, I believe that this year's MLB Opening Series in Japan will once again inspire children here to dream of playing in big leagues. I, too, am very excited about this historic series."

Standing on the field, undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue greeted the two teams and fans just before the first inning began.

"Let's play ball!" Inoue declared.

"Monster" Inoue (29-0, 26 knockouts) returns to the ring on May 4 in a title bout against Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas.

A Manager's Perspective

"Well, I think it's a big start for him, obviously. I think [Shota] Imanaga and [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto did a really good job handling the nerves of the start of the game. [And] I think we've got to put pressure on [Roki] Sasaki early in the game. I think that's the way to not let him settle in early. That will be a goal tomorrow."

―Cubs manager Craig Counsell, analyzing the mental strength of Chicago starter Imanaga and LA starter Yamamoto and pinpointing his team's approach against Dodgers starting pitcher Sasaki in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.