Detroit — A fired-up crowd of Los Angeles Dodgers fans left their mark on the Motor City Friday night at Comerica Park.
Fans made custom signs and chants to cheer on superstar Shohei Ohtani and the first-place Dodgers, who beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game series.
Ohtani, who hit a game-winning double in the ninth inning before a crowd of 42,060, created a lot of buzz in this weekend’s series in his only visit to Detroit this season. The two-way Japanese player leads the National League in hitting (.312) and homers (28).
Local Dodgers fans Mary-Ann Grau and her nephew, Hudson Grau, came to Friday’s game to finally watch Ohtani play live.
“The Dodgers don’t come here very often,” Grau said. “So we got those tickets a long time ago and my nephew is a big Ohtani fan.”
Hudson, who has been playing baseball for four years, designed a huge sign in Japanese and English with a big blue number 17 on the board to get Ohtani’s attention.
“I think he (Ohtani) is a very talented baseball player,” Hudson said. “I look up to him as a role model.”
Maki Umakoshi, pastor of the Hikari City Japanese Church in Plymouth, said Ohtani is a prominent figure in Japan and in the Japanese community in Detroit.
“Ohtani is a national hero for the Japanese people,” said Umakoshi, who was at Saturday afternoon’s game with his wife, Sonny, and daughter, Reika.
“I think a lot of people are really proud that he’s doing so well on the big stage in Major League Baseball.
“People also like his good nature. He’s kind of soft-spoken and humble, not your typical athlete. I hope he does well for the Dodgers!”
Fuji TV video journalist Ryuji Motoyama is also in Detroit to document Ohtani’s weekend at Comerica Park.
Motoyama, who is based in New York, followed Ohtani from spring training to “about 20 games,” including the Dodgers’ road trip that began in Philadelphia earlier this week.
“He (Ohtani) is the greatest ball player Japan has ever produced,” Motoyama said. “Our country is the size of California. We’re a small country and it makes the news at home.”
jclowers@detroitnews.com