03/11/2024

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Giants vs. Tigers at the Tokyo Dome: Ben Verlander’s Japan diary

Giants vs. Tigers at the Tokyo Dome: Ben Verlander’s Japan diary

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sporting activities MLB Analyst

Editor’s note: Ben Verlander is paying time in Japan exploring Shohei Ohtani’s roots, dealing with the country’s lifestyle and conference followers. This is the third in a recurring sequence that commenced Friday, Aug. 19.

Hello from a bullet educate touring 150 mph. World’s fastest-land-speed article ever composed, and you can not prove if not!

On this bullet practice, I am touring to Iwate, wherever Shohei Ohtani played Minimal League and superior school baseball. 

On my 2nd working day in Japan, we visited Tokyo Dome Town and went to a game at the Tokyo Dome. On arrival, I took my usual photograph from in entrance of the stadium and was straight away met by “Flippin’ Bats” fans seeking a image. This will by no means get old. I traveled halfway all-around the world, and the really like and appreciation for my podcast are specific.

Right after the initially working day here, I created a stage to depend just how numerous “Flippin’ Bats” followers I ran into. I experienced 74 persons solution me and wound up taking hundreds of pictures at the Tokyo Dome! There was even a lover meetup just after the video game that I had absolutely nothing to do with!

Enjoy “Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander” on YouTube, or subscribe on podcast platforms, which include Apple Podcasts.

Following the pics, it was off to the crew retail store to get a Tokyo Giants jersey, as it is my mission to get a dwelling group jersey from every single stadium I pay a visit to.

It was really tough to uncover a jersey my dimension. Notably simply because I did not know what my sizing was in Japan. 

Entertaining reality: In this portion of the environment, I’m measurement XO.

At last, I identified the ideal suit for me. It was the jersey of the Giants’ switch-hitting infielder, Akihiro Wakabayashi.

From there, it was time to head into the stadium.

The Tokyo Dome isn’t just an iconic baseball stadium. It is also just one of the most well known entertainment venues in the planet!

I didn’t know what to anticipate, but it was promptly evident that the Tokyo Dome is an practical experience to check out.

Initial of all, there’s a huge roller coaster known as the Thunder Dolphin up coming to the stadium. There’s also The Tokyo Dome Lodge, with the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame attached. The Rolling Stones played a concert there, and Mike Tyson was handed the initially loss of his profession by Buster Douglas at the Tokyo Dome.

The Tokyo Dome was also the area of the last activity of Ichiro Suzuki’s baseball vocation, when the Mariners and Athletics kicked off their year in Tokyo in March 2019.

Ben Verlander goes to the Tokyo Dome

Ben Verlander goes to the Tokyo Dome

Ben Verlander talks about his outstanding expertise visiting the Tokyo Dome in Japan, seeing where Ichiro Suzuki played his very last activity and looking at exactly where Shohei Ohtani hit a ball via the roof of the stadium.

From my visits to two Japanese baseball stadiums, just one factor is obvious: The Japanese do not mess all over with stadium food. I feel the Tokyo Dome has the very best foods I have ever had at a ballgame. Some standouts incorporated an ice product sandwich that doubled as a product of the Tokyo Dome, the very best crepe I’ve at any time consumed and a whole-sized batting helmet filled with nachos, hen fingers, popcorn, cheese, guacamole and numerous other ingredients.

The sport by itself was a good one particular. Think Purple Sox vs. Yankees, but in Japan, it’s the Tokyo Giants vs. the Hanshin Tigers. The atmosphere was electric, and just about half the enthusiasts in the stadium were being for the viewing Tigers.

A further factor that caught my interest was an actual line in the outfield separating the two supporter bases. If you are a admirer of 1 group, you simply cannot cross the line and sit with enthusiasts of the other crew. A person of my producers purchased a Tigers jersey and was stopped by safety from crossing the line into the other portion.

The day was capped off by an unbelievable supper, thanks to a advice from Orioles good Adam Jones. Jones played in Japan for a number of yrs and sent me his favorite meal places, so obviously, I had to go to a single.

On the walk back to the hotel, I just soaked it all in. This is a specific location, and it’s a trip I will bear in mind for the relaxation of my everyday living.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sporting activities and the host of the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Previous Dominion University in advance of he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He expended five years in the Tigers organization. Abide by him on Twitter @BenVerlander.


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