As the cameras went off, Shota Imanaga wrapped an arm around the shoulders of his Cubs teammate Seiya Suzuki. After they posed with stoic expressions, a few photographers asked the duo to smile. Imanaga broke into a wide grin,

Baseball mania reached fever pitch in Japan on Friday with public appearances of national hero Shohei Ohtani and other Japanese players set to take part in MLB season-opening games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

More than 10,000 fans packed into the lower bowl of the Tokyo Dome on Friday to watch the Dodgers go through their first official workout.