Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a little extra zip on his fastball. Shohei Ohtani even admitted to some nerves. There was little doubt this was no ordinary baseball game. But the Japanese players who were playing in front of their home country at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday night handled any jitters they had quite well,

The baseball-mad country of Japan greeted perhaps the brightest star it has ever produced with silence. When Shohei Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box to open Major League Baseball’s season against his fellow countryman,

Highlights included the return of two-way star Shohei Ohtani to his native country. He homered in Wednesday's game. Other Japanese players had a chance to shine as well. Yoshinobu Yamamoto won the opener on the mound,