The regular season is kicking off in Tokyo with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, both of which have been boosted by Japanese players.

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,