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Shohei Ohtani produced on command.

Again.

Just as he did when he played in the World Baseball Classic. Just as he did when he reached the 40-40 and 50-50 homer-steals milestones last season. Just as he did in his first playoff game with the Dodgers.

Technically, the game in which Ohtani played on Saturday night was an exhibition game.

In reality, it was more than that.

Read more:Battling illness, Dodgers' Mookie Betts questionable for Tokyo Series games

Many of the fans who packed the Tokyo Dome paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to watch the Dodgers play the Yomiuri Giants. Tickets for the game were selling on the secondary market for upwards of $600.

Years from now, people who weren’t here will claim they were. The people who actually were here won’t be complaining about the outrageous ticket prices.

Moments are what stay with fans, and Ohtani delivered another in the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory.

In his second at-bat of his first game wearing a major league uniform in his home country, Ohtani was thrown a curveball by Giants right-hander Shosei Togo that remained over the plate.

Ohtani pounced on the mistake, launching the ball halfway up the right-field stands.

“It went up at a good angle, so even though it was [hit] a little with the end [of the bat], I thought it would get in,” Ohtani said in Japanese.

In person, the people here witnessed scenes with which they had become familiar on television.

The waving of his hands in the direction of the bench as he rounded the bases.

The tossing of sunflower seeds by Teoscar Hernández.

Ohtani knew the game counted, even though it didn’t.

“So many people came,” he said, “even though it was an exhibition.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts arrived in Japan this week battling an illness, and is questionable to be ready for the club's regular-season openers on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs, manager Dave Roberts said.

Betts did not play in the Dodgers' 5-1 exhibition win over the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league, and will be again held out of Sunday's exhibition against the Hanshin Tigers.

However, as Betts left the ballpark Saturday, he joked that he's "still alive" and was feeling better.

“He’s been really sick, lost some weight, so we’re trying to get him hydrated,” Roberts said earlier in the day. “We’ll see how these days go before we even think about making a decision for opening day.”

Read more:Hernández: Shohei Ohtani home run at Tokyo Dome delivers yet another moment seemingly on command

Betts first started feeling under the weather during the Dodgers’ final week of spring camp, sitting out their final two games of Cactus League play.

Roberts said there wasn’t much consideration to having Betts stay back from the team’s week-long trip to Tokyo, noting that “the doctors felt it was safe enough for him to make the trip.”

Betts did not participate in the Dodgers’ workout at the Tokyo Dome on Friday, but did take the field Saturday for pregame drills. On Sunday, Roberts said Betts is scheduled to have a "full day" of hitting and infield work.

"Then we’ll see how it goes from there,” he reiterated.

On the field Saturday, all the attention was fixed — as expected — on Shohei Ohtani, who was playing in his home country for the first time since representing Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

In his first trip to the plate, Ohtani received a loud ovation before drawing a full-count walk. In his next, he brought the Tokyo Dome to life, launching a 391-foot, two-run home run to right field as part of a five-run third-inning rally by the Dodgers — who also got long balls from Michael Conforto and Teoscar Hernández in the frame.

“He just has the ability, when there’s expectations for him, to do something special,” Roberts said.

Just like on Friday, when the more than 10,000 fans who attended the Dodgers’ open team workout roared at the sight of Ohtani on the field, the mere presence of the three-time MVP caused a stir before Saturday’s sellout crowd.

When he took the field pregame for a session of catch play in the outfield — Ohtani has maintained his flat-ground throwing sessions this week, even though he paused bullpen sessions near the end of spring camp in his continued recovery as a pitcher from a 2023 Tommy John surgery — fans stampeded toward the bottom of the lower bowl, roaring in approval with almost every throw.

When he came to the plate for the first time, seemingly everyone in attendance whipped out their phones to capture the moment — getting their first chance to see the country’s baseball hero in person with a Major League Baseball team.

“This many people came, even though it was an exhibition,” Ohtani said in Japanese afterward. “Personally, it felt like I was back for the first time in a while.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Phillies' bullpen picture becoming clearer with 6 more spring cuts originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The composition of the Phillies’ season-opening bullpen became clearer on Saturday when they removed six more pitchers from their spring training roster.

Left-hander Nick Vespi and righties Koyo Aoyagi, Jose Cuas, Joel Kuhnel, John McMillon and Guillo Zuñiga were reassigned to minor-league camp. So was infielder Rodolfo Castro.

All six of the pitchers were in camp as non-roster invitees. Aoyagi, Cuas, McMillon and Zuñiga have minor-league options remaining; Vespi and Castro do not.

Six locks for the Phillies’ season-opening bullpen are Jordan Romano, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks, Jose Ruiz and Joe Ross. Matt Strahm would have been another but he’s dealing with a left shoulder impingement that could keep him out for Opening Day. This leaves five pitchers on the Phillies’ active spring training roster for two bullpen spots. One of those jobs will most likely go to Taijuan Walker.

The other opening will come down to Nabil Crismatt, Devin Sweet, Kyle Tyler, Michael Mercado or someone the Phillies pluck away from another organization before the regular season begins.

Crismatt, who started the Phillies’ Grapefruit League opener, has the most big-league experience of the four. He is also the only one of the four who is not on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, so the team would have to remove someone to add him if he ends up as the selection.

Crismatt is a 30-year-old right-hander from Colombia who made 114 appearances from 2020-24 with the Padres, Cardinals, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. He owns a 3.71 ERA in 177 innings. Crismatt is not a hard thrower, averaging 90 mph with his four-seam fastball and sinker, but has solid off-speed stuff led by a changeup. He has pitched well this spring, allowing two runs over 6⅔ innings with six strikeouts and one walk.

The Phillies acquired Sweet from the Tigers on November 4 for cash considerations, likely because they were so impressed by his huge strikeout numbers (111 K’s in 76 innings) at Triple A. Sweet has allowed three runs in five innings this spring.

Mercado is a hard thrower trying to find his role in the organization heading into his age-26 season. He has been both a starter and reliever for the Phillies but it appears they currently view him as a multi-inning reliever. Mercado has allowed five runs (four earned) in 3⅔ innings of camp.

Tyler was claimed off waivers by the Phillies last August from the Marlins after he appeared in eight games with Miami, starting seven. He has allowed just two unearned runs in 6⅔ innings this spring. Tyler, who relies primarily on his cutter, is one of many pieces of starting pitching depth the Phillies have between Triple A and the majors, along with Mick Abel, Seth Johnson, Tyler Phillips and Alan Rangel. Moises Chace and Jean Cabrera are two more starters on the 40-man roster likely to begin the year at Double A. And there is, of course, top prospect Andrew Painter, who is building up gradually in his first season back from Tommy John surgery but could be helping the Phillies in the majors by July.