SEOUL – The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted to “paint Japan blue” with the signing of Shohei Ohtani, and reaction this week in South Korea suggests they have charmed the rest of Asia, too.

The Dodgers are in Seoul to face the San Diego Padres in two games to open the Major League Baseball (MLB) season on March 20 and 21.

The undoubted star attraction is Japan’s Ohtani, whom the Dodgers signed to a 10-year deal worth US$700 million (S$940 million) in December and has been likened to a modern-day Babe Ruth.

The Dodgers have ambitions to become Japan’s favourite MLB team but manager Dave Roberts said there was “lots of room on the Dodgers bandwagon”.

“It’s good to see even here in Korea, to see the Dodger hats around Seoul,” he said.

“I can’t imagine the (number of) Dodger hats that are walking around Japan now. It’s an exciting time, not only for Los Angeles and Major League Baseball but all over the world.”

Ohtani is a national hero and huge source of pride in Japan, even more so after leading the country to victory in the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

The Dodgers followed up his signing by snapping up Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a 12-year, US$325 million deal.

Yamamoto is also a star in his home country, where he won three straight awards as Nippon Professional Baseball’s top pitcher.

The Dodgers have a rich history of signing Japanese players, starting with trailblazing pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1995.

Nomo was vilified in Japan for leaving to try his luck in the MLB, but he became a hero when he succeeded in LA.

“Hideo Nomo was a pioneer for the Dodgers,” said Roberts.

“Having Shohei and Yoshinobu here, the hope this winter was to paint the country of Japan blue, and I think we’ve done that.”

Nomo brought the Dodgers to a nationwide audience in Japan but other teams have also enjoyed moments of popularity, thanks to the success of their Japanese players.

Former pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka told AFP that the Boston Red Sox saw a spike in interest when he led them to the World Series title in 2007.

But he believes the Dodgers have an enduring popularity in Japan that Ohtani’s arrival will only strengthen.

“The Dodgers were already popular in Japan but I think Shohei Ohtani joining will increase their number of fans several times over,” he said.

MLB has staged regular-season games in Tokyo five times but this season’s series in Seoul is the first time they have played in a different Asian country.

Baseball is arguably South Korea’s No. 1 sport, as can be seen from the hero’s welcome accorded to Kim Ha-seong since his arrival with the Padres.

Jason Hsiao, a Taiwanese student living in Seoul, told AFP that there is a huge appetite for MLB games among Asian baseball fans.

“Around Asia, if you love baseball, then of course your dream is to go to a stadium to watch a major league game,” the 28-year-old said, after the Padres’ warmup game at Gocheok Sky Dome against South Korean team the LG Twins. AFP