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.

Ohtani impressed in last year’s Tokyo Series, going 3-for-10 with two RBI and a stolen base against the rival Padres. Ohtani recently posted an Instagram picture featuring a group photo of him and every Asian person affiliated with the Dodgers organization. The picture included players, coaches, and even team photographer Jon Soohoo.