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 Japanese slugger was introduced before each at-bat to loud roars that continued until a few seconds before the pitch, when the crowd went into a silent trance that’s normally reserved for events like Wimbledon or the Masters.

And yet, even out of the relative few people who were able to obtain tickets, a non-zero amount of them woke up, dressed as Shohei Ohtani's dog, then went about their business. They brushed their teeth, pulled on a white t-shirt, then tugged on their dog masks down to their neck.